CHENNAI: PWD Minister Aadhav Arjuna on Thursday launched a sharp attack on DMK over its functioning in the Assembly, stating that when DMK tries to set a wrong narrative about TVK and Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay, it is the duty of the ministers and functionaries to thwart it.
Speaking to reporters after paying tributes to former prime minister VP Singh on his birth anniversary, Aadhav said that DMK had underestimated the newly elected TVK MLAs, assuming they were inexperienced and unaware of Assembly proceedings. He asserted that the ruling party would respond in the same manner as their immediate predecessor.
He added that the ministers were functioning according to Assembly rules and responding to questions. “But when there is an attack from DMK, we are in a position to respond. We can’t remain mute spectators when DMK continuously launches a tirade against us,” he said.
Responding to criticism that the chief minister had turned the Assembly into a “shooting spot”, Arjuna said that during the DMK regime, ministers frequently praised Udhayanidhi Stalin by referring to his films. In contrast, he said, TVK ministers and MLAs did not glorify the CM, but confined their speeches to key issues.
He said that when the CM mentioned the term ‘party funds’, AIADMK and other parties remained silent, but that remark only hurt DMK. Arjuna said that all tenders in the highways department were now being awarded through an online process and challenged anyone to point to a contract that had been awarded otherwise.
Arjuna said DMK had a history of resorting to “cheap propaganda”and added, “When people lack intelligence, they resort to personal attacks.”