AIADMK general secretary and Leader of Opposition Edappadi K. Palaniswami on Friday announced that his party would organise a ‘human chain’ agitation across the State on March 12 to highlight the problem of drug menace.
Demanding that Chief Minister M.K. Stalin explain his stand categorically on the matter and the alleged involvement of the DMK’s expelled NRI wing office-bearer Jaffer Sadiq, the AIADMK leader, told journalists that there were reports of 26 cases having been filed against Mr. Sadiq. Yet, he was said to have received a memento from Director General of Police Shankar Jiwal and met the Chief Minister and Sports Development Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin. “How can such a person meet them?”, Mr. Palaniswami wondered, calling for a thorough probe into the matter.
Referring to recent seizures of drugs in the last one month, the AIADMK general secretary said the State had become a “storehouse” of drugs. Instead of the Chief Minister explaining the situation, the ruling party’s organisation secretary, R.S. Bharathi, had issued a statement.
Mr. Palaniswami, who earlier cut a 76-kg cake at the party headquarters to mark the Women’s Day, said under the DMK regime, journalists were not “able to function freely”. They should be given full protection and only then would they be able to function effectively, he said.
On the DGP’s reported observation that Tamil Nadu fared better than others on drug prevalence, he retorted that this was not an issue where comparison could be made. Only in respect of development schemes, comparison could be done.
Asked for reports that the BJP was still interested in having a tie-up with the AIADMK, Mr. Palaniswami recalled the decision taken by the party in September last, about the withdrawal from the alliance with the BJP. He reiterated that his party stuck to the position. In the interests of the party and its workers, it had decided not to have truck with the BJP.
Asked for comment on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s praise for the AIADMK leaders M.G. Ramachandran and Jayalalithaa, the AIADMK leader said he had highlighted good deeds of the deceased leaders.
As to who the party would project as the candidate for the post of Prime Minister, Mr. Palaniswami asked whether Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) had promoted anyone for the post. Moreover, in the previous Lok Sabha election, Naveen Patnaik in Odisha, Mamata Banerjee in West Bengal and Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy in Andhra Pradesh did not project anyone for the post of Prime Minister and yet, they won in the poll, the AIADMK leader added.
