Chennai: CM Palaniswami, MK Stalin slam each other on poll campaign trail
Chennai: Continuing his tirade against the DMK and its chief MK Stalin in the course of his high-decibel poll campaign, Chief Minister Edappadi listed the various acts of violence by the DMK workers and wondered how much worse their public conduct would be if at all they come to power.
“We have witnessed the DMK workers attacking the workers at teashops and parotta shops when they were asked to pay for what they had eaten. If this is their behaviour when they are only in the Opposition, just imagine what they would do if at all they form government”, said the CM addressing poll rallies in Chennai and surrounding constituencies on Wednesday.
Accusing the DMK of “miserably failing” to take steps for the gazette notification of the Cauvery tribunal’s final order, in 2007, the CM said “despite several pleas from the farmers and various other sections in the State, the DMK did not take even the least effort to protect the rights of farmers, though it shared power with the Congress at the Centre.”
DMK president M K Stalin lambasted the CM and also Deputy CM at his massive poll rallies in Theni and Periyakulam. The AIADMK administration has "pledged both your party (AIADMK) and the Tamil Nadu government" to the BJP at the Centre just to "save their positions and personal interests. Even pledging something in a pawn shop can be redeemed, but you have pledged it with Narendra Modi and Amit Shah which is irredeemable," Stalin said.
He demanded to know how OPS has amassed such huge wealth after starting as just a teashop owner some years ago.
DMK let down farmers, can’t deliver goods: CM
Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami, who is campaigning in the city, tore into the DMK on Wednesday saying the party which had "miserably failed" to act in the interest of the Tamil Nadu farmers on Cauvery issue, cannot be expected to deliver the goods.
"Unlike the DMK, the AIADMK ensured rights of Tamil Nadu on the Cauvery by not only ensuring gazette notification (of the tribunal's final order) and also the constitution of the Cauvery Water Management Authority," he said, amidst thunderous applause from the party members.
Apparently drawing a leaf from Prime Minister Narendra Modi's speech at Chennai rally, of his "hard work" that made him occupy the highest position of PM and not education at "Harvard" Business School from where former Union Minister P. Chidambaram was educated, Mr. Palaniswami said he rose to become Chief Minister by sheer "hard work" and not "short cut." "I came up the hard way. My political journey began during my student days in 1974 as branch secretary, then assumed various positions in the party, got elected as MLA, MP, became Minister and now you (voters) made me the CM. But Stalin (DMK president) became the party president and deputy CM because of his father (late DMK stalwart M. Karunanidhi). Whether party or government, there can be no shortcut. The way up is long and hard to achieve," he said. Also, he learnt to respect leaders and people, he added.
The CM claimed that Stalin does not seem to see the mammoth crowd at the AIADMK-led rallies and said pointing at the huge crowd around, "it is 11.30 am now. The sun is blazing on our heads. But ignoring the scorching sun we all have gathered here to strive hard for the victory of the AIADMK-led alliance. And he says the CM is addressing campaign meetings that hardly attracted the people."
The CM also took a dig at Stalin saying the DMK leader claims that he would take steps to form a separate wing to protect temple idols. "Surprisingly, he appears to be unaware that our respected leader MGR (former CM M. G. Ramachandran) had constituted the idol wing during his term in office. Strong rooms are being built to safeguard the temple idols, as per the court order," Palaniswami added.
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