CHENNAI: Heated arguments were exchanged in the Assembly on Tuesday between DMK ministers and AIADMK MLAs over the opening of TASMAC outlets and the former AIADMK government’s claim of Tamil Nadu being a power-surplus State. AIADMK member S Ravi charged that power cuts were rampant in the State at present, though the previous AIADMK government had made TN a power-surplus State. In response,
Electricity Minister V Senthil Balaji said that no maintenance works for EB connections were taken up in the last nine months. “So, we are carrying out the works now, and following that there will be no power cuts in the State,” the Minister said and listed out a number of required upkeep works that were not carried out by the previous AIADMK government.
“The AIADMK keeps claiming that Tamil Nadu is a power-surplus State. However, for the last many years, a total of 2.42 lakh farmers were waiting for electricity connections. Why could not the previous government provide power connections to these farmers?,” Senthil Balaji asked. Immediately, former AIADMK minister P Thangamani stood up to respond but, the DMK members raised objection and said Senthil Balaji must be allowed to finish his remarks first.
s heated arguments ensued, the Speaker worked hard to pacify them. Further in his speech, AIADMK member Ravi slammed the DMK government for permitting liquor outlets to reopen, and recalled how the DMK had demanded the AIADMK government to close all outlets after the government allowed them to function last year.
Responding to his charges, Minister Senthil Balaji said that the outlets have been opened only in districts where the number of Covid infections has declined. Leader of Opposition Edappadi K Palaniswami said that TN had only recorded a maximum of 7,500 daily cases when the AIADMK was in power. “But now, the case numbers are much higher. In this situation, why did the government hurry to open liquor outlets?”