MADURAI: In a scathing attack, AIADMK General Secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami on Tuesday said that the ruling DMK has failed to fulfil the promises that it had made to government employees, including reviving the old pension scheme. Palaniswami was on a canvassing trail for party candidate Dr P Saravanan at the central vegetable market in Madurai.
Speaking to reporters here, Palaniswami hailed Defence Minister Rajnath Singh's statements of respect for late AIADMK leader J Jayalalithaa. "It's a credit when leaders of even the opposition (BJP) party prove how AIADMK party leaders have set exemplary governance. He doesn't believe that it will yield him AIADMK votes," he said.
Palaniswami further said that the AIADMK government in its 10-year regime had introduced several schemes for government employees. "Whenever the central government raised the dearness allowance (DA), AIADMK released it immediately. The MK Stalin-led DMK government, however, has delayed the release of DA in the last three years. DMK forgets about its promises once the elections are over," said the former chief minister.
Further taking a dig at the DMK, Palaniswami added, "I have shown videos of DMK leadership lying, which include the non-fulfilment of promises listed out in their election manifesto. DMK should state where, when, and at which stage I had lied before I responded to their statement."
Responding to Stalin's statement that Palaniswami had taken AIADMK on a lease, the leader said that the DMK functions akin to a 'corporate' firm and family party. Arguing that the AIADMK is not marred by dynasty politics and that one of the party cadre will succeed him, Palaniswami took a dig at the DMK and said, "Dynastic politics means that the members of a family keep occupying the chief position," he said.
Palaniswami also called out PMK chief Anbumani Ramadoss over his statement that the party had no use in joining hands with Dravidian parties. Palaniswami questioned why, then, the PMK had entered into an alliance with the AIADMK.