The only objective of DMK president and Leader of the Opposition M.K. Stalin is to criticise the State government's performance and, in doing so, level unsubstantiated allegations against it, Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami has said.
“Mr. Stalin has alleged corruption in the Kudimaramathu scheme. Where is the room for corruption when the government has not floated any tenders for the project? The government bears 90% of the project’s cost, with farmers' associations pitching in to cover the remaining amount. The scheme has received widespread appreciation from the public, which he is unable to digest,” the CM told mediapersons in Coimbatore on Wednesday.
Listing statistics on the funds provided by the State government for the dredging of tanks under the scheme, the CM asked what the DMK had done to conserve water when it was in power.
“The DMK was in power for five terms with his (Mr. Stalin’s) father M. Karunanidhi as the Chief Minister. Mr. Stalin was once a Deputy Chief Minister. What were his achievements?” Mr. Palaniswami asked.
Responding to Mr. Stalin’s demand for a White Paper on the investment deals inked during his recent foreign trip, Mr. Palaniswami said the AIADMK government, under his chief ministership, had done a lot for the State's development within a short period of time.
“Industries take time to start operations – usually two to five years – after they sign agreements. The total value of investments during the 2006-2011 DMK regime was only ₹26,000 crore. In contrast, the investments received by the State after the first Global Investors’ Meet was ₹2.42 lakh crore. Twenty-nine industrial units that had promised investments to the tune of ₹53,000 crore have already started operations,” he said, adding that the government had all the facts and figures to counter Mr. Stalin’s allegations.
To a query on the implementation of the new motor vehicle rules, Mr. Palaniswami cited the traffic discipline he had observed during his visit to the U.K., the U.S. and Dubai, and said the government will implement whatever measures were required for the State's development.
“In the countries that I visited, I noticed that there were 10-, 12- and 16-lane highways. But here, the people are protesting against an 8-lane highway,” he said.
