Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami on Monday said the State government will oppose tooth-and-nail any policy or project advanced by the Centre which goes against the interests of Tamil Nadu.
Speaking at an election campaign meeting in Muslim-dominated Ervadi in the bypoll-bound Nanguneri Assembly constituency, he said the AIADMK did have an electoral alliance with the BJP, but that did not mean it will support policies which harmed the State and its people. At the same time, the Tamil Nadu government will welcome projects that are useful to the people, he added.
Listing the schemes being implemented for the welfare of the Muslim community, like the ₹6-crore annual assistance for the Haj pilgrimage, supply of 5,400 tonnes of raw rice to mosques for preparing gruel during the month of Ramzan and supply of sandalwood to Nagore Dargah, among others, he asserted that the AIADMK will always stand by the minorities and the downtrodden.
Interacting with local residents, he said, “We welcome the Centre’s development projects in Tamil Nadu. Though we have an electoral alliance with the BJP, we have different policies. Hence, we will oppose anything that could harm Tamils and Tamil Nadu.”
Mr. Palaniswami asked why the DMK, which enjoyed the benefits of being in charge of Union Ministries by joining hands with the BJP for 5 years from 1999, did not treat the national party as an ‘anti-people’ organisation then.
“Like a chameleon, the DMK changed its colour and stance in 2004 to forge an electoral alliance with the Congress to get ministerial berths in the Union Cabinet. Instead of bringing development projects to Tamil Nadu, the DMK brought disrepute to Tamil Nadu and Tamils by indulging in unprecedented corruption,” he alleged.
The DMK and its allies misled the voters by making false promises like monthly assistance of ₹6,000 to poor families and waiver of agricultural loans, and got their votes for 39 MPs in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry. Since the Congress, the DMK’s ally, could not get a majority and form the government at the Centre, the voters [who voted for them] had been cheated, he said.
“If you vote in favour of the ruling AIADMK’s candidate, he can easily solve the problems of the constituency,” Mr. Palaniswami told the voters.
