KRISHNAGIRI/DHARMAPURI: The BJP and DMK are doing politics on the Katchatheevu issue to gain votes, only the AIADMK has tried to retrieve it from Sri Lanka, party general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami said on Tuesday.
Speaking in a campaign meeting in Krishnagiri, Palaniswami said “ In 1974, the Congress at Centre and DMK at State handled the issue. Both parties were in power for many decades, but did not take any step to retrieve the island. Former chief minister Jayalalithaa took the issue to Supreme Court in 2008, seeking to retrieve Katchatheevu. For the past ten years, BJP government did not take steps to retrieve it, but is doing politics for political gain ahead of election.”
Palaniswami added, “ Chief Minister MK Stalin is describing the ten years of AIADMK government as dark age. I am ready to debate the achievements of AIADMK, is Stalin be ready to list his achievement in the last three years. Law and order has worsened, and ganja circulation has increased. A former DMK member has been arrested for drug trafficking.”
Later in the day, speaking in Dharmapuri, Palaniswami said, “After a long struggle the Supreme Court ordered the formation of the Cauvery Water Management Authority and Tamil people could finally get fair share of water. But the present DMK government is not able to fight and get our share of water. In 2023, over 5.5 lakh acres of paddy was lost because of the failure of the DMK government. Even when 26 party representatives of INDIA alliance met, Stalin failed to appeal to his ally and bring water to Tamil Nadu. The DMK government has failed the people.”
Another failure of the DMK government is not conducting a caste survey denying people their rights. The AIADMK had passed a GO for a caste based census, but the DMK government had neglected our effort.
Taking a jibe at PMK, Edappadi said, “There is a party which is hiding behind ideology, yet they have allied with a party completely opposed to its principles. They are like a chameleon changing their alliance at every turn. They believe that Dharmapuri is theirs, but the people will not accept them.”