Muslims in the State need not fear, as they will not be affected in any manner by the alliance [with the BJP] formed by the AIADMK, party co-coordinator and Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami reiterated during a meeting with Jamaath leaders in Tiruppur on Thursday.
Mr. Palaniswami began his two-day election campaign in Tiruppur district, as part of which he met with Jamaath leaders at a private hall on Kangeyam Road, within the Tiruppur Corporation limits. “Alliance is different and ideology is different. The alliances will keep changing because they are formed for political purposes,” Mr. Palaniswami said, without mentioning any particular party. He had given a similar assurance during his campaign in Ramanathapuram early last month.
Asserting that the AIADMK does not discriminate on the basis of caste or religion, he added that there have not been any communal clashes in the State in the past four years. “Any minor [communal] issues are dealt with immediately,” he said, referring to the recent arrest of BJP’s State executive committee member R. Kalyanaraman in Mettupalayam for his allegedly derisive remarks on Prophet Muhammad and Islam.
Kicking off his campaign at Avinashi on Thursday morning, Mr. Palaniswami said that the certificates for the crop loan waiver announced recently will be issued to the farmers “within 10 days.” He condemned DMK president M.K. Stalin for claiming that the crop loan waiver to the tune of ₹12,110 crore will only remain an announcement, alleging that the latter “cannot understand the hardships faced by the poor.”
Speaking at Pandian Nagar within Tiruppur North Assembly constituency, Mr. Palaniswami alleged that DMK MPs have not raised issues concerning the State. Criticising Mr. Stalin for collecting petitions from the public as part of his election campaigns, the Chief Minister said that the State government will soon roll out the ‘1100’ helpline for grievances where the public could communicate their grievances through phones instead of submitting petitions.
At Valarmathi bus stop within Tiruppur South constituency, Mr. Palaniswami alleged that the DMK did not take adequate steps to ensure the release of the former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi assassination case convicts, and is not competent to criticise the AIADMK government on this issue.
