Palaniswami takes a dig at Annamalai; questions his fate after June 4

AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami campaigning for Chennai South Lok Sabha constituency candidate J. Jayavardhan at M.G.R. Nagar in Chennai on Monday. | Photo Credit: B. VELANKANNI RAJ

Taking a swipe at BJP State president K. Annamalai, AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami on Monday wondered if the former would continue in his post after June 4, the day of counting of votes polled for the Lok Sabha elections.

Campaigning for DMDK candidate B. Parthasarathy contesting in Chennai Central constituency, Mr. Palaniswami without mentioning Mr. Annamalai’s name said the AIADMK was not like “your [Mr. Annamalai’s] party, which appoints people from Delhi.”

Referring to the way government officials are transferred, or their appointments cancelled, if their functions were not satisfactory, Mr. Palaniswami said: “You are in a party like that. You have been given an appointment by them. Let’s us see later whether you would be there [as the BJP state president] after June 4.”

Mr. Palaniswami’s observations come in the wake of statements of Mr. Annamalai against the AIADMK. Mr. Palaniswami said without being aware of the history, Mr. Annamalai has been “lamenting with frustration”.

The AIADMK was a party with over 2.06 crore members and “not like a party like yours, whose members can be counted with fingers,” Mr. Palaniswami said. The AIADMK came out of the alliance with BJP “only after noticing your [Mr. Annamalai’s] activities”, he said.

Maintaining that the AIADMK has its unique strength, Mr. Palaniswami cautioned against underestimating his party. “Whoever intended to defeat the AIADMK would only be defeated,” he said.

Mr. Palaniswami claimed that a film production house, with which Sports Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin was associated, was forcing film producers to sell their movies failing which they would not be able to screen them elsewhere. “None else would be able to buy those films. Hundreds of such movies have not seen the light of the day. They include many low budget movies,” he alleged.

Mr. Palaniswami said: “They are bargaining for low cost. Film producers are in tears today. They are not able to pay back their debts.. They are saying their movies are not bought even to the extent of their investment but only half of it and are saying that they are badly affected.”

‘Four power centres in DMK govt.’

While campaigning for AIADMK candidate J. Jayavardhan contesting from Chennai South constituency, Mr. Palaniswami claimed that there were four power centres in the DMK government – M.K. Stalin, his wife Durga Stalin, his son Udhayanidhi Stalin and his son-in-law V. Sabareesan.

He further criticised the DMK for having had alliances with the BJP and later with the Congress and for having part of the Union Cabinet under both these parties in the past.

“What principle do you have? Are the BJP and the Congress same in their principles? The AIADMK is not like that. If the AIADMK has an alliance, we will maintain alliance dharma till the end,” Mr. Palaniswami asserted.

Taking a dig at the DMK candidate for Chennai South and sitting MP Tamizhachi Thangapandian, Mr. Palaniswami said she was bemoaning to party workers that her skin had tanned after her election campaign. “But, the AIADMK candidate is not like that and he would be at your disposal always,” he said.

Though he acknowledged that both the DMK and BJP candidates were “strong candidates”, the AIADMK candidate would “no less and could win over them”, Mr. Palaniswami said.

Referring to the grand welcome he received in this constituency, Mr. Palaniswami said: “There were people on both sides of the road for over a km. Some people conducted a road show. Here, we conducted road show as well as public meeting at the same time”.