Thiruvannamalai: Ripping through the rival AIADMK-led alliance as one cobbled up for pure poll exigencies sans public good, DMK president M K Stalin on Saturday questioned the choice of the ruling party's candidate for the Lok Sabha election here on April 18.
The AIADMK nominee 'Agri' Krishnamoorthy was not only sacked from her cabinet by then Chief Minister Jayalalithaa, she had also stripped him of his position as district party secretary and even got him arrested (April-2015) for alleged involvement in the suicide of government official Muthukumarasami, Stalin pointed out at a massive election rally here.
His DMK candidate C N Annadurai, in contrast, is a person of high personal integrity, political conviction and public commitment, Stalin said.
Taking potshots at the AIADMK team, the DMK chief said as the poll campaign gathered heat, he was amused to find PMK leader Dr S Ramadoss-he referred to him as 'Periayya'-crediting the state government with unleashing schemes for eradicating poverty. Only the 'poverty' of the PMK leadership might have got eradicated, said Stalin, adding, "We are happy about that".
He said the PMK chief had dubbed the DMK as a party known for violence, whereas it was the PMK that had been identified with violence. "I am not saying this; Jayalalithaa had said this citing the incidents at the PMK conference at Mahabalipuram (April 2013). She said the PMK was a symbol of violence", Stalin said.
CM Edappadi Palaniswami had accused him (Stalin) of speaking with arrogance, but could there be any one more arrogant than a CM who projected himself as God, Stalin said, obviously referring to a state government advertisement (April 2018) showing a woman offering worship to 'Palaniswami' and telling a priest in temple she regarded the CM as her God.
Interestingly, the government withdrew that advertisement following all-round criticism and the harshest condemnation had come from PMK chief Dr Ramadoss, who said TN had "seen some Chief Ministers who have said there is no God and others who have said God exists; but this is the first time that a CM has proclaimed himself to be God.
Pointing out that the state was reeling under economic crisis and was at the bottom when it came to attracting investments while there were about 1.5 crore youth in the unemployed list, Dr Ramadoss had said it was unacceptable that taxpayers' money was being used for such 'selfish' promotions and the advertisement must be immediately withdrawn as it "is an insult to the people of the state and to the Gods".
Stalin at the campaign rally also referred to the Pollachi sex scam and said the shocking crime "is yet another example of this government's maladministration" as it has been alleged that over 200 young women were subjected to sexual cruelty over a period of seven years "with support by people in the ruling party and the police"
