CUDDALORE: Former TNCC president KS Alagiri on Thursday asserted that the DMK alliance would secure victory in the forthcoming Assembly elections, claiming that those who align with the AIADMK are in a weak position.
Addressing reporters in Chidambaram, Alagiri criticised the BJP government’s handling of the Goods and Services Tax (GST). “Prime Minister Modi and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman have claimed that reduction of GST rates is a great revolution. Today, the tax rate has been reduced from four to two slabs, and the Prime Minister has said this will save Rs 2.5 lakh crore annually. But in the past eight years, the BJP government announced four types of high tax slabs and collected Rs 55 lakh crore from the people. It was not any other government that increased taxes, it was the BJP. Now they say they have reduced it and that it benefits people. Why did they not reduce it for eight years? They deceived the people for eight years and have reduced it now only for elections,” he said.
Recalling that the GST Bill was introduced during the UPA regime, Alagiri noted, “When Manmohan Singh was Prime Minister and P Chidambaram was Finance Minister, the Bill was debated day and night. At that time, GST was projected as a single, simple tax. But the BJP opposed it in the Rajya Sabha. If they had supported it then, India would have had a uniform tax system. After coming to power, the BJP introduced the same GST, and the Congress accepted it with amendments in the interest of the nation and economic growth. But the BJP imposed higher slabs under GST, which affected common people.”
On alliance dynamics, he said, “In Karur, when former DMK Minister Senthil Balaji brought a Congress leader into the DMK, it was not acceptable. But the issue has now been rectified. The Congress party stands for secular politics. Our leader Rahul Gandhi is a good friend of Chief Minister Stalin both politically and personally. It is our right to demand more seats and cabinet berths, but that does not mean we will quit the alliance. Rumours on social media about switching alliances are false.”
Taking aim at AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami, Alagiri said, “He should stick to politics instead of personally attacking Congress leader Selvaperunthagai. Selvaperunthagai has been in Congress for over 15 years. When I was president, I allocated Sriperumbudur constituency to him as Sonia Gandhi approved our request, since the Rajiv Gandhi Memorial is there. DMK is our ally, and it is our right to place demands with them. Calling us DMK loyalists is wrong. We contested in 110 constituencies earlier, now we contest in fewer, and we want that situation to change.”
Highlighting the party’s organisational growth, he added, “After I became president, polling booth committees were set up in 64 per cent of the state. After Selvaperunthagai took charge, 21,000 village-level Congress committees have been formed. For the first time, the Congress has become organisationally strong. We also have a large vote bank among the people. Because of this, there will be no impact on the DMK alliance in the next Assembly election due to the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam. Congress itself has more than 45 per cent vote share. AIADMK cannot get more than 20 to 23 per cent votes this time. Those who ally with them are weak, and the DMK alliance will win.”
State secretary PPK Siddharthan, district president NV Senthilnathan, state general committee member MN Radha, city Congress president Thillai R Makeen, district vice-president Raja Sambathkumar and other leaders were present.