DMK working president M.K. Stalin on Sunday warned that his party would not hesitate to put an end to the AIADMK government, which, according to him, had turned the clock back 20 years and destroyed administration and governance in Tamil Nadu.
Reacting to Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami’s allegations that the DMK was fishing in troubled waters and politicising farmers’ issues, Mr. Stalin termed these allegations as the “jokes of the year”.
“It is Mr. Palaniswami who is fishing in troubled waters. The DMK has faith in democracy and sees no need to indulge in dirty politics,” he said.
Mr. Stalin noted that it was the AIADMK government which filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court, disputing and denigrating the suicides of over 400 farmers. “It obtained a stay against the High Court order directing the State government to waive farm loans. It is a government that is not ready to meet the Prime Minister to draw his attention to the protests of farmers in Delhi,” he said.
The DMK leader said that the Chief Minister, despite facing the allegation that he distributed ₹89 crore to voters in the R.K. Nagar Assembly constituency, continued to have in his Cabinet, a Minister who allegedly received bribes in return for allowing the illegal sale of tobacco and gutkha products.
As regards the desilting of water bodies, Mr. Stalin said that the scheme was launched when the DMK was in power. “As a Chief Minister, he [Mr. Palaniswami] should appreciate the efforts made by the opposition party. But instead, he is directing the officials not to give permission to the DMK to desilt water bodies,” he said, adding that his recent arrest in Coimbatore was aimed at creating law and order problems.
“The DMK is following democratic means to fight against the government. The Chief Minister cannot cow us down,” he averred.
