Trounce TVK candidate for ‘treachery’: AIADMK general secretary appeals to Dharapuram electorate

AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami on Sunday called upon the electorate in Dharapuram (SC) Assembly Constituency to trounce the TVK candidate Sathyabama in the upcoming bypoll, describing her “defection” (from AIADMK) a “treacherous” act.

Campaigning for AIADMK candidate Banumathy at Kannivadi and other locations, Mr. Palaniswami said the party cadre were aghast at the “treacherous act” and would teach a fitting lesson to the TVK candidate for “murdering democracy”.

Describing TVK leader C. Joseph Vijay as a “costly Chief Minister”, he questioned the State government’s rationale behind borrowing ₹1,200 crore to construct a new Assembly Complex at the cost of the poor, and spending as much as ₹5 crore for the CM’s visit to the Mettur dam for water release.

The TVK’s dream of subsuming AIADMK would never materialise, Mr. Palaniswami said. “I joined AIADMK even before you were born,” Mr . Palaniswami told Mr. Vijay.

Slamming the government for not fulfilling the promise to waive crop loans completely, Mr. Palaniswami claimed that the AIADMK government had, under his Chief Ministership, waived crop loans amounting to ₹15,110 crore. Failure to raise old age pension has caused discontent, he said.

The TVK leader’s act of “fleeing” Karur after the stampede claimed 41 lives can never be condoned, he said.

The Communist parties are not convinced of the TVK government’s governance capability, Mr.Palaniswami said, and also questioned the real intent behind the Chief Minister’s visit to London recently.