CHENNAI: The war of words between the AIADMK and the DMK escalated on Friday with AIADMK interim general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami calling MK Stalin a puppet CM and the DMK returning the compliment with ‘internal fight for power’ jibe. Addressing a protest meet in Chengalpattu, organised as part of the party’s State-wide stir demanding roll back of power tariff hike on Friday, AIADMK interim general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami said four CMs are ruling Tamil Nadu today.
“While MK Stalin is a puppet CM, his wife, son and son-in-law are ruling the State. Stalin’s family is functioning as the power centre. His family members are wielding influence on State administration,” EPS said. “On an average, the Stalin government has hiked power tariff by 34% for all categories of consumers and there would be a 6% hike every year. So, by the end of 2026, power tariff would have gone up by 30%,” he said.
Referring to the advertisement given by the electricity minister justifying the tariff hike, Palaniswami said the data provided by the minister states that under low-tension power loom category, Tamil Nadu stands at 29th place in the country. In the household consumption category, Tamil Nadu stands at 19th place, which means that 10 States are charging lower tariff than TN. Similarly, in low-tension factories category, the State stands at 10th place which means 19 States are charging less than TN. In the HT category, the State stands at 15th place, EPS said.
Palaniswami said at a time when people are recovering from Covid-19 onslaught after two years, the tariff hike would be a big burden on them. He also slammed the DMK government for scrapping 2,000 Amma Mini Clinics that were launched to serve the poor in remote areas.
A few hours later, DMK organising secretary RS Bharathi countered Palaniswami’s charges. Talking to reporters at the DMK headquarters in Chennai, Bharathi said Palaniswami has been levelling charges against the DMK government out of fear over the outcome of the ongoing investigation into the Kodanad murder case.
On the allegation of Palaniswami that four CMs are running the State, Bharathi said that there are problems within the AIADMK and four people, Palaniswami, Panneerselvam, VK Sasikala and TTV Dhinakaran, want to take over the party. To divert the inner party feud, EPS is leveling such allegations, Bharathi said.
Regarding EPS’s charges on property tax, Bharathi said EPS and his colleagues, who were unable to counter the CM’s clarification on the issue in the Assembly, are now prattling about it.
Bharathi said power tariff was hiked since the Centre stopped subsidies worth thousands of crores of rupees and Tangedco’s debt reached `1.75 lakh crore.
EPS: RAMACHANDRAN A TURNCOAT, RUINED PARTIES
Chennai: AIADMK leader Edappadi K Palaniswami on Friday reacted sharply to the charge of veteran party leader Panruti S Ramachandran that Palaniswami should be removed from the leadership to protect the party. “The AIADMK is doing fine ...We don’t need your advice. In the past, you had shifted loyalties to various parties and wherever you rendered advice, those parties got ruined. You criticised Amma (J Jayalalithaa) when she was alive,” Palaniswami said while leading a demonstration against the power tariff hike in Chengalpattu. Palaniswami further said Ramachandran was airing unwanted opinion on the instigation from some people.
DVAC raids at behest of CM Stalin: SP Velumani
Coimbatore: Former minister SP Velumani led AIADMK’s protest against power tariff hike here on Friday. He said the AIADMK government did not burden people by increasing taxes like the DMK government is doing. He alleged that DVAC carried out searches at properties linked to him thrice at the behest Chief Minister MK Stalin, but “returned empty-handed.” In Tiruppur, senior leader Pollachi V Jayaraman said the DVAC searches were an attempt by the government to divert people’s attention from the hikes in tariff and property tax.