DMK president M.K. Stalin on Thursday said he was ready to debate with Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami on corruption charges if the latter adopted a resolution in the Cabinet urging the Governor to grant sanction for inquiry into the allegations against him and his cabinet colleagues and file a petition to vacate a stay against inquiry into the illegal tenders offered to his in-laws.
Reacting to the Chief Minister’s poser that the was ready for a debate at any place, Mr Stalin said Mr Palaniswami was the Chief Minister of of a party whose leader (Jayalalithaa) was removed from Chief Minister post on corruption charges.
“Even Mr Palaniswami was subjected to a CBI inquiry. But without any shame he is claiming that he is not involved in any corruption,” Mr Stalin alleged in a statement.
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Accusing the Chief Minister of using the coffers to release advertisements to falsely promote his government, Mr Stalin said Mr Palaniswami, who was campaigning with police protection and state machinery, was left with only four months [in office].
“He does not know what he is saying and he is under the impression that people will believe what he utters,” Mr Stalin said.
According to him, the Chief Minister did not know the difference between his in-laws and a public servant and granted tenders to the tune of ₹ 6,000 crore. “In the beginning he argued in the court that there was nothing wrong in his relatives getting tender. Not he takes an U-turn and says that he is not aware of the participation of his relatives in the tender process because he had applied online,” Mr Stalin alleged.
Responding to Mr Palaniswami’s allegation that the DMK men were involved in land grabbing, Mr Stalin wanted to know how many DMK men were awarded punishment since the AIADMK was in power for the last ten years. “The special courts constituted to deal with land grabbing cases were dissolved on the ground that the cases were foisted on the DMK men,” he said.
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Mr Stalin said he would meet the Chief Minister in a debate if he wrote a letter to the Governor saying that he was ready to face the case related to amassing wealth disproportionate to his known sources of income.
“Then fix a date and place. Bring all your cabinet colleague and if possible your Deputy Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam. I will expose the corruption charges against you and others,” he said.
