COIMBATORE: Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami on Sunday accused the DMK president, MK Stalin, of deceiving voters in his "new avatar", in which he had accepted a vel (spear associated with Lord Murugan) and later posed with it before people. Palaniswami was referring to a photograph of Stalin holding a silver vel that was presented to him by DMK workers during a gram sabha (rural outreach) in Tiruvallur on Saturday.
Addressing a large gathering at the Puliyakulam Vinayakar Temple on the second day of his campaign in the city, Palaniswami said Stalin had, in the past, has abused Hindu gods, wiped Kungumam (vermillion) off his forehead, and 'thrown away' vibuthi (holy ash) in public, but now he is holding a vel.
He said that the divine symbol seems to have come to Stalin’s notice because Assembly elections were round the corner. "But Lord Murugan will not bestow his blessings on the DMK even if Stalin holds a vel. He will shower his blessings only on the AIADMK," Palaniswami said, adding it was his party that declared a public holiday for Thai Poosam, a festival dedicated to Lord Murugan.
"God will not abandon those who believe in him. People of Tamil Nadu know how to punish those who pretend to be believers. AIADMK is a 'divine' party and the people feel it should come back to power as all its members and functionaries believe in God. For us, all religions are equal. But the DMK is opposed to all this. Only rowdyism and anarchy run in DMK," the CM said.
Commenting on the gram sabha meetings, conducted by Stalin, Palaniswami said people will not fall prey to such gimmicks.
"Stalin is frequently changing his character and playing different roles. Those who act in the real life will not be successful. Only hard work will bring success. The AIADMK is the only party that works for the welfare of people. We distributed laptops, worth Rs 12,000 each, to 52 lakh students. This year, 313 students from government schools secured admission to the MBBS course, and 92 got seats to the dental course. This is because our government brought in a legislation to create a horizontal reservation for government school students," he pointed out.
DMK is a corporate company, Stalin its chairman: Edappadi Palaniswami
Mocking the DMK's "dynasty politics", the Chief Minister said, "The DMK is a corporate company in which Stalin is the chairman. His son Udhayanidhi, relatives Kanimozhi and Dayanidhi Maran, are its directors. The party is running a show of dynasty politics and the AIADMK will put an end to it by winning the upcoming election. The Opposition party won in the Lok Sabha elections of 2019 by creating confusion among voters. It is trying a similar ploy this time."
He questioned if the party implemented any of the promises it made before the 2019 elections. Campaigning in this industrial town, the Chief Minister also used the opportunity to highlight the fact that his government had created a good investment climate, despite the pandemic.
He said the State has managed to attract industrial investment to the tune of Rs 60,000 crore. "As many as 74 companies will start their businesses here and generate 1.5 lakh jobs in the State," he said.
Stressing further about his government’s intention to continue providing a conducive industrial environment, he said, "Till 2011, several industries faced closure in Coimbatore and Tiruppur districts due to frequent power cuts. Only after the AIADMK came to power the problem was resolved." Palaniswami also listed out his government’s combined scheme that has been implemented to ensure uninterrupted water supply.
Doubling farmers' income
Speaking at Mettupalayam, Palaniswami said the State government was working on a plan to double the income of banana farmers. "During a recent meeting, scientist Mayilsamy Annadurai suggested that shirts and dhoti be made of banana fibre, medicine and biscuits could be made from banana stem. The estimation for setting up this processing industry is Rs 400 crore and once the industry starts functioning, farmers will get double income," he said.
Further, he reiterated his challenge to Stalin. "I have challenged him for a debate. I will answer him. At the same time I will raise irregularities in DMK regime. He should answer without referring notes."
'Karunanidhi, Stalin filed fake cases against Jayalalithaa'
Speaking at Periyanaickenpalayam, the chief minister said that DMK leader M Karunanidhi and MK Stalin were the reason for death of former chief minister J Jayalalithaa as they filed a fake case against her. "High Court acquitted her. However they appealed to the SC. As a result, Amma went to jail. We
have formed a commission to investigate the death of Amma based on the people’s demand."