CHENNAI: The political hide-and-seek being played by the chief opposition party, AIADMK, and its former ally, the BJP, seems to be an extended show in Tamil Nadu. After BJP state president K Annamalai – indirectly referring to AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami’s statement that DMK is the sole rival of the party – said that political parties that had blamed the saffron party for their electoral defeats over the past five years are now eagerly seeking an alliance with them, EPS rebuffed the BJP chief’s comment on Saturday. Speaking to journalists at the AIADMK headquarters during the party’s International Women’s Day celebrations, Palaniswami pointed out that Annamalai had not explicitly named any party in his remarks, indicating that it may not be directed at the AIADMK. In a separate television interview, he firmly reiterated that AIADMK, since its inception, has never relied on any party’s support for electoral alliances.
During the event, EPS kick-started the party’s signature campaign for women’s safety and also provided livelihood assistance to a group of women.
Addressing the gathering, EPS recalled the various welfare measures which were implemented during the erstwhile AIADMK-led governments and said that as the longest-serving woman chief minister of Tamil Nadu, J Jayalalithaa had set a remarkable record. Under her leadership, various schemes were implemented to ensure women’s safety including the Cradle Baby Scheme to prevent female infanticide and the Girl Child Protection Scheme.
Speaking about women’s safety, EPS said that working women were provided with enhanced safety measures under the AIADMK government. The AIADMK government always prioritised women’s welfare and security, he added.
“However, at present, women are not safe. AIADMK will form a government after the 2026 Assembly elections and it will ensure women’s safety,” he said.