Former chief minister Edappadi Palaniswami said that 10 DMK MLAs are talking to them. He said this after attending a house function of a party executive in Kummidipoondi, Tiruvallur district.
At the press conference that followed, he was asked several questions. He replied, “10 DMK MLAs are talking to us. It was the Dravidian model that made the mayor take a back seat. DMK is not only a Dravidian model…a corporate party, a family party. Udhayanidhi Stalin, who is a mere MLA, is highlighted by initiating projects. There are many people out there who deserve respect. But we can’t expect all that from DMK,” he said.
He was then asked questions about Rahul Gandhi’s visit, new bills and schemes. In response, he said, “After getting complete information about the new electricity bill, we can give an opinion on whether it will affect the farmers. “If there is an announcement about ‘one country, one election’, we will inform you about the chances of winning,” he said.
Then he spoke in detail about the AIADMK internal conflict. “There are many parties in Tamil Nadu but AIADMK is the only party that is loved. OPS has said that they welcome Sasikala and Dhinakaran. AIADMK is a party ruled by volunteers. Volunteers are ruling it. There is no room for others here. OPS has filed an appeal in the Supreme Court regarding the AIADMK General Committee, which will be known only after the hearing of the case.
The CBCID investigation which started today at the AIADMK party headquarters is a long overdue investigation. No appropriate action was taken when a complaint was filed at the party headquarters about the theft of goods. The police must gather clues and investigate. That will not happen in this regime. There is no security for the people of the country. If goods are stolen, there is no police department to trace them. There is no Chief Minister to take action.
The CBCIT investigation has been started in the first case which was held at the AIADMK headquarters only because of the court appeal. This is the proof that law and order has broken down in the DMK regime,” he said.
“If the complaint about the robbery in the office of the party that ruled for 32 years is not fully investigated in this regime, then people should know how the functioning of this regime is. There is no security for the people under this regime. “Amma Tharanam” is a scheme created to provide affordable food to poor people. People will teach those who shut it down in the next election,” he said.
Talking about the ongoing problem of fishermen and the construction of a barrage, he said, “Andhra government’s actions to build a new barrage in Kosasthalai river are condemnable. When Tamil Nadu is facing water shortage, it is not appropriate to withhold the water that is due to us. Neighboring Andhra Pradesh should realize this. India is one country. We should avoid Andhra government from building dams so that no one should suffer. Attacks on Tamil Nadu fishermen by the Sri Lankan Navy have been going on for a long time. With the help of the central government, we have recovered the fishermen who were arrested during the AIADMK regime and the confiscated boats,” he said.