AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami (EPS) on Saturday said the party “cannot be bought by anyone”, rejecting Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s remark that the AIADMK is in the BJP’s grip. He was speaking at Veerappanchatram in Erode.
EPS alleged that Chief Minister M.K. Stalin was blaming the Union government to cover up what he called the DMK’s lack of preparedness to face the Assembly election. He insisted that AIADMK was not subservient to any party and said its alliance choices were aimed at removing an “anti-people” regime.
Targeting the DMK’s alliance management, EPS claimed a newly added party with “half a percent” vote share was being given 10 seats, while a “two-and-a-half percent” party was allotted five. He also alleged that older allies were sidelined, including by reducing seats.
EPS further countered Stalin’s criticism of the AIADMK by saying he had travelled abroad to bring projects, unlike Stalin who, he claimed, went abroad for publicity. He also questioned the DMK’s charge that the BJP was coming “wearing an AIADMK mask”, asking whether the BJP had similarly come “wearing a DMK mask” in 1999.
He accused the Congress in Tamil Nadu of acting like a DMK appendage and said it had not condemned remarks about K. Kamaraj made by DMK leaders. EPS also alleged that despite a letter from the Enforcement Directorate and a court direction, an FIR was not filed in a municipal administration department corruption matter, and said action would be taken if AIADMK returned to power.
