DMK too had allied with the BJP in the past, says EPS in Theni

The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) had also allied with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the past and enjoyed Cabinet positions in the Centre, said AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami.

Speaking at Theni, the last leg of his campaign, in the district on Friday as a part of his whirlwind tour, he said that the AIADMK would not compromise on its policies by aligning with the BJP now. The alliance with the BJP was only for elections and every political party has the right to choose their partners. “The idea behind coming together was to defeat the common enemy. Today, the DMK is the common enemy and the AIADMK is determined to unseat the party from power, when elections would be held in 2026”, he said.

The AIADMK general secretary listed out the major works executed during its regime to the minorities, especially, the Muslims. Hence, he cautioned the public to be vigil and not to get misled by malicious campaigns.

Whenever the DMK came to power, drugs were accessible to the public, he claimed. Four years ago, he said, the issue was raised in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly and Chief Minister Stalin was urged to take bold initiatives. However, he remained silent. As a result, drugs flowed freely, he charged and in the eleventh hour, the government is claiming to prevent drugs.

Taking a dig at the DMK, he claimed that corruption had touched a new high in Tamil Nadu.

The Madurai Corporation is caught in a property tax scam. The police has arrested none other than the Mayor’s husband, who has applied for bail in a court. The AIADMK would not spare anyone who figured in the corruption and the loss to the exchequer would be recovered when the AIADMK came back to power.

Criticising the DMK government for its huge borrowings, Mr Palaniswami said that despite such high debt, the common man had not benefitted even in a little way in the last four years. Where has the money gone, he asked and promised to order probe.

The AIADMK, which he said had taken care of the people, especially, the downtrodden, would introduce a new gift on Diwali. The womenfolk in the State would get a saree, if the AIADMK was voted back to power, he said amidst loud applause from the crowd.

Later, Mr Palaniswami drove to Dindigul. After overnight halt, he is scheduled to address public meetings on Saturday.