TIRUVANNAMALAI: Taking strong exception to DMK chief MK Stalin calling him a ‘fake’ farmer, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami on Sunday said that he had belittled the farming community and they must give him a fitting reply for his derogatory remarks.
Addressing a poll meeting at Vandavasi while campaigning for PMK candidate Murali Sankar, the Chief Minister said, “He calls me a fake farmer. In fact, it is Stalin who is acting like a farmer when he set off into farmland wearing pants, full sleeves shirt and shoes. Real farmers are not like this.”
“I have been farming for long. My family is engaged in the profession for about 70 years now. I know how to till land unlike him. By calling me a fake farmer, he has belittled and insulted the farming community. Farmers should give him a fitting reply,” Palaniswami urged.
Enlisting the welfare measures and subsidies distributed to farmers, he pointed out that Tamil Nadu has exceeded the food production target of 100 lakh tons and won the Centre’s prestigious Krishi Karman Award.
When the fall armyworm began attacking maize, the government immediately swung into action with a fund allocation of Rs. 48 crore for pest management, he noted.
Claiming that the State has been remaining peaceful without any communal friction, he said it is his party’s government that protects the interests of minorities including Muslims.
He said DMK did not even vote for late APJ Abdul Kalam when he contested the Presidential polls, instead, it was AIADMK that voted for him resulting in his election to the topmost post.
At Cheyyar, Palaniswami campaigned for AIADMK candidate ‘Dusi’ K Mohan. Addressing a large gathering, he said the government will take necessary steps to keep yarn prices under control and noted that it was his government that rolled out a textile policy.
Saying that even during the pandemic period, Tamil Nadu had attracted investments worth Rs. 60,000 crores and is remaining the most sought-after investor-friendly State.
Palaniswami sharpened his attacks on DMK and its chief Stalin when he canvassed for Tamil Nadu Minister for Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) ‘Sevoor’ S Ramachandran at Arni.
He said Stalin’s father M Karunanidhi had reached the Chief Minister chair using crooked means. “VR Nedunchezhian was to become the Chief Minister but Karunanidhi grabbed the post through crooked manner,” he said, adding that unlike him, I was elected by a majority of the MLAs.
Stalin is deliberately spreading falsehoods and does not show the qualities and character of a leader.
Even when DMK is not in power, the party’s leaders are intimidating the public and government officers. The voters should think of the situation if they come back to power, he said.