CHENNAI: “Your dream of coming to power in the State will remain just that, a dream,” thundered Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami in a direct attack on DMK chief MK Stalin on Wednesday. Resuming his campaign for the Assembly elections with a mega rally in Sriperumbudur, Palaniswami said, “The AIADMK will retain power this time too.” He then read out a long list of his government’s achievements, including its handling of the Covid pandemic.
The Chief Minister began his campaign by offering prayers at Sri Ramanujar Temple in the area. Later, he met farmers, agricultural workers, weavers, and traders in the region. He also visited the Anna Memorial in Kancheepuram, and paid respects to former Chief Minister CN Annadurai. Addressing the people of Sriperumbudur, Palaniswami claimed that Stalin had tried to topple the AIADMK government several times after the demise of former CM J Jayalalithaa.
“All those efforts were thwarted by us with the help of the cadre and the public. Now, once again he is raising suspicion on whether I will continue as the CM after January 27. You have made such claims before, too, but the AIADMK has provided stable governance for the last four years,” he said.
The January 27 reference was made becuase it is the date for the release of VK Sasikala, who was confidante of Jayalalithaa. “On January 27, we are inaugurating the memorial for Jayalalithaa. We swear on her that in the forthcoming elections, too, the AIADMK will win. You (Stalin) can only dream (about coming to power),” he said.
‘Govt attracted huge investments to State even during the pandemic’
Responding to the charge of the DMK president that Palaniswami was not elected directly by the people to the post of Chief Minister, Palaniswami said MLAs elect the Chief Minister and that the Chief Minister is not elected directly by the people.
“When Arignar Anna passed away, Karunanidhi became the Chief Minister. People voted only for Anna as they thought he was fit for the post of the Chief Minister,” Palaniswami added. R eferring to the another remark of Stalin that the AIADMK would not win the elections even if the party performs somersaults, Palaniswami wondered what is the relevance of performing somersaults and winning the elections.
“We seek votes by highlighting our achievements. But people know well who performs somersaults. Instead of making valid promises, Stalin has been unleashing falsehood against the AIADMK government,” he added. S peaking at Chengalpattu, the Chief Minister recalled his government’s achievements in terms of attracting huge investments to the State even during the Covid period, efficient implementation of Kudimaramath scheme, etc.
“The AIADMK government had created a new district with Chengalpattu as its headquarters and a tender process is on for renovating the Kolavai lake. A new flyover has been opened near Vandalur Zoo to ease traffic flow, and a six-lane road is being laid between Guduvancherry and Chettipunniyam,” he added and appealed people to compare the growth of Chengalpattu and surrounding areas during the AIADMK regime with the development during the previous DMK regime.
At Kancheepuram, the Chief Minister recalled how DMK leaders and MLAs behaved during the confidence vote episode in 2017. “They stood up on tables, danced and threw books in the Assembly. The Assembly Speaker had pardoned them magnanimously since they tendered an apology for the behaviour. Had the DMK been in power and if the MLAs involved belonged to the AIADMK, all would have been dismissed en masse,” he further said.