AIADMK general secretary and former Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami on Tuesday claimed that PMK president Anbumani Ramadoss could not have become a Rajya Sabha member without the votes of AIADMK MLAs.
Mr. Palaniswami was campaigning at Mecheri in Salem district for his party’s Dharmapuri candidate, R. Ashokan. He said that Dharmapuri was facing a three-cornered fight. Earlier, when the PMK was in the AIADMK alliance, it was in second place, he said, adding, “Now, it will be pushed to the fifth place due to its alliance with the BJP.”
“Mr. Anbumani claims that voting for the AIADMK is a waste, as the AIADMK does not have a prime ministerial candidate. Only with the help of AIADMK MLAs’ votes did Mr. Anbumani become a Rajya Sabha member. While he was Union Health Minister, what scheme did he bring to Mecheri,” he asked.
Alleging that Mr. Anbumani entered into an alliance with the BJP for power, Mr. Palaniswami said, “They [PMK] want to be slaves. But we [AIADMK] do not want power at the Centre. We only need people’s support. The AIADMK will raise its voice in Parliament.”
When the AIADMK was in power in December 2020, it ordered a caste census and formed a committee under the chairmanship of retired Judge Kulasekaran. The government also issued a G.O. in this regard. It would take two years to complete the caste census, and once every six months, the committee’s tenure should be extended. But when the DMK came to power, it did not give any extension to the committee, he claimed.
When Mr. Anbumani campaigned for the PMK candidate in Cuddalore, he urged people to vote for him as he was a local candidate, Mr. Palaniswami said, adding, “We are also asking the people of Dharmapuri to vote for the AIADMK candidate, who is a local candidate, as the PMK candidate [Sowmiya Anbumani] does not belong to Dharmapuri district.”
Later, Mr. Palaniswami campaigned in Jalakandapuram and Edappadi.
