CHENNAI: AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami on Wednesday accused the ruling DMK of ill-treating its long-time allies, contrasting it with what he described as a respectful approach within the AIADMK-led alliance.
Launching his election campaign from Mylapore which is a constituency allotted to the BJP, Palaniswami said parties aligned with the DMK were being sidelined despite claims of long-standing partnerships. He asserted that allies in the AIADMK camp were given greater autonomy and dignity.
The campaign began with Palaniswami offering prayers at the Kapaleeshwarar Temple before canvassing support for the BJP candidate, who is yet to be officially announced. Tamilisai Soundararajan, a former state BJP president widely expected to contest from Mylapore, accompanied him during the roadshow.
Palaniswami described the DMK-led alliance as being in a “pitiable position”, alleging that it took nearly 20 days to finalise seat-sharing arrangements. He claimed that several alliance partners were compelled to negotiate aggressively for constituencies, unlike AIADMK allies who, he said, were accommodated without friction.
Without naming the party, he took a swipe at the DMDK, suggesting that certain “unrecognised parties” had been allotted more seats than established allies such as the Left parties and the VCK.
Targeting the DMK government’s performance, Palaniswami alleged that of the 525 promises made ahead of the 2021 elections, less than a quarter had been fulfilled, despite claims by Chief Minister M K Stalin of near-complete implementation.
He also questioned the status of key assurances, including waiver of education loans and abolition of NEET, accusing Stalin and Udhayanidhi Stalin of misleading the public.
Further, Palaniswami alleged that the DMK government had accumulated Rs 5 lakh crore in debt over five years, raising concerns over fiscal management and repayment.