THIRUVANNAMALAI : Pointing out the recent incident where Goondas Act was invoked against farmers who were protesting against the SIPCOT extension in Melma village, AIADMK General Secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami said the DMK government in the state is anti-farmer. He said this while campaigning for AIADMK Lok Sabha candidate GV Gajendran in Arani parliamentary constituency.
Addressing the gathering, Palaniswami said though industrial development is crucial for creating employment for the youth in the region, the DMK government is trying to achieve this at the expense of agriculture. He asserted the farmers would not forgive the actions against them by the DMK government.
"The DMK government is aware of its dwindling popularity, and that is why, it is upholding the INDIA bloc. However, many parties have already walked out of the alliance and are opting to contest independently. Even Bihar CM Nitish Kumar has withdrawn his support, terming the entire bloc as a mere facade and cited examples such as the Congress party and Aam Aadmi Party contesting against each other in Delhi, Punjab and Kerala," Palaniswami said.
He asserted that the DMK-led government has failed to initiate any significant reforms but has instead focused on cancelling various welfare schemes implemented by the previous AIADMK government including Amma mini clinics and laptops to government school students which were aimed at benefiting the underprivileged.
The AIADMK general secretary also called Stalin a liar, saying he has not fulfilled several promises outlined in the election manifesto such as increasing the number of workdays and wages for MGNREGA workers, addressing rising petrol and diesel prices, enhancing the sugar allocation at ration shops from 1kg to 2kg, and providing a Rs 100 subsidy for gas cylinders. "Instead of focussing on fulfilling the promises, Stalin has been concentrating on promoting his family members," he said.
Taking a dig at Udhayanidhi Stalin, Palaniswami said he could never become a chief minister. "If DMK had truly cared for the public, they would have displayed the 'AIIMS brick' at the parliament and had taken concrete measures to complete the project. Instead, Udhayanidhi was parading it in rallies for mere advertisement purposes, which serves no real benefit to the public," he added.