TVK has ‘forced’ byelections on the people: Udhayanidhi

In a no-holds barred attack, DMK youth wing secretary and Leader of the Opposition Udhayanidhi Stalin, during his byelection campaign in Dharapuram on Saturday, framed the sobriquet ‘Cheating Minister’ for Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay, a day after his father and former Chief Minister M.K. Stalin used the term ‘Cheap Minister’.

Reiterating that the byelection had been “forced” on the people within months of the Assembly polls by the Chief Minister by “buying out a pliable group of AIADMK MLAs”, Mr. Udhayanidhi said a ‘sobbing drama’ was enacted by TVK candidate P. Sathyabama in the Chief Minister’s presence in Dharapuram recently. It was the voters who actually have to cry for having elected a “traitor”, he charged.

Mr. Udhayanidhi said the TVK, after accusing the DMK and AIADMK of bribing voters, appeared to be buying out MLAs as a “better option”. He said the Chief Minister, after claiming to have left Cinema at the peak of his career, was now providing “tiffin carriers containing money to the voters.”

He said the steep increase in the costs of rice, sugar, tamarind, cooking oil, chilli, and garlic over the last four months had hit the people hard. The people were suffering due to daily power cuts that last for eight hours, he added.

Despite the Central government raising the upper limit of rural employment guarantee to 120 days, the TVK-led government has not provided the rural residents with even 10 days of work. And, even for these days of work, the remuneration has not been paid, the DMK leader alleged.

The Chief Minister, Mr. Udhayanidhi claimed, was indulging in escapism in the Assembly when confronted with tough questions on governance. Engaging the voters in an interactive mode, Mr. Udhayanidhi said: “I hope you will not repeat the mistake (of voting for TVK candidate again) and teach the ruling party a lesson.”