NAMAKKAL: The stampede during TVK’s rally in Karur, which claimed 41 lives, was due to the government’s failure to provide adequate police protection for public gatherings, charged AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami, on Thursday.
Addressing a campaign meeting in Namakkal constituency, Palaniswami said that only after the Karur incident had the police begun offering security for opposition events. He claimed that under the DMK rule, opposition parties are often denied permission to hold public meetings, protests, or gatherings. "When the AIADMK was in power, we allowed them (DMK) to hold protests wherever they wished," he said.
Further, he claimed that the DMK government, despite being in power for 51 months, failed to bring any major projects to Namakkal. “During my tenure as chief minister, the AIADMK government established a Rs 350 crore medical college hospital and a Rs 84 crore law college in the district.”
On the law and order front, he cited the killings of Tirunelveli Congress leader Jayakumar Dhanasingh and BSP state president K Armstrong and faulted the state government for the worsening security situation.
Referring to the recent death of Nagendhran, an A1 accused in the Armstrong murder case, and the earlier police encounter of another accused, K Tiruvengadam last year, he alleged there was a "mystery" in the government's handling of the case and suggested that the case be shifted to the CBI to ensure a fair probe.
Taking a dig at the state's recent order on renaming streets and public institutions, he said, "The DMK has brought this G.O. only to rename everything after Karunanidhi. When the AIADMK returns to power, this G.O. will be scrapped."
Palaniswami further attacked the government over the cough syrup tragedy, which claimed the lives of 20 children in Madhya Pradesh, blaming it on negligence by the state's health department.
He also criticised the rising debt burden of Tamil Nadu under the DMK regime and said that people were being weighed down by increased electricity bills, water taxes, and property taxes. Earlier in the day, Palaniswami met with representatives of farmers, powerloom and handloom sectors and the LPG tankers association.
