AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami on Tuesday, October 24, 2023 said the party will not have any alliance with the BJP not only in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, but also in the 2026 State Assembly elections.
Addressing journalists at the party’s Omalur office in Salem district, he reiterated the AIADMK will lead a “strong alliance” in the ensuing election to the Lok Sabha. According to him, after the AIADMK severed ties with BJP, people from the minority communities were meeting him and extending their support. “[Chief Minister] Mr. Stalin could not tolerate it and has started to criticise me more now and the DMK and its allies are creating an image that they are for the minority people,” he added.
The AIADMK leader condemned Mr. Stalin’s remarks in Tiruvannamalai where he charged Mr. Palaniswami was making false claims about development schemes undertaken in the State during the erstwhile AIADMK regime.
Mr. Palaniswami said, “I had never given any false information. But Mr. Stalin’ claim that he had fulfilled all election promises is a blatant lie.” He charged that the DMK is deceiving people claiming to have fulfilled all electoral promises. “But they have borrowed ₹2.5 lakh-crore without implementing any new projects. The DMK is just inaugurating projects initiated by the AIADMK,” he contended.
He said 90% of works in the State-funded Athikadavu - Avinashi scheme was completed during the AIADMK rule. “But even in two-and-half years, the DMK is yet to complete the 10% works,” he said and blamed the ruling government for stalling projects brought by the AIADMK government, including the Mettur surplus water scheme.
