Salem: Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami today said Leader of the Opposition and DMK president M K Stalin was trying his best to topple the AIADMK government and remove him from the Chief Minister’s post.
Palaniswami was speaking at a function here during which he laid the foundation stone for the three new flyovers to be constructed at a cost of Rs 40 crore. Welfare measures of various departments worth Rs 12.26 crore were handed over to 4,049 beneficiaries during the event.
Palaniswami said Stalin was always thinking about him. “I think that even when he is sleeping, he thinks only about me. He keeps planning something or the other to remove me from the Chief Minister’s post. He makes strategies to achieve his goal, keeps thinking of kindling protests thus disturbing law and order in the State.”
He added: “But with the support of people, all his strategies have been defeated.”
Palaniswami said Stalin was organising small meetings in villages in the name of Grama Sabha. “At these meetings, he makes false allegations against the government. During former chief minister J Jayalalithaa’s period, several welfare schemes were implemented for the benefit of the people and the same is being done now. Stalin is not able to tolerate all these which is why he is giving out false information,” he said.
Palaniswami added that during his meetings, Stalin says villages are temples. “He was born in a city, so that is why he is realising this only now. But I was born and spent most of my life in a village. This government knows the need of the people in the village and has implemented several schemes for their benefit,” he added.
He further said Stalin has alleged that no help has been provided to women self-help groups. “Stalin does not know the actual statistics. Only if he knows about it, he can talk on that topic. Several welfare schemes are offered to women self-help groups across the State. Today, in Salem alone, Rs 1,874 crore has been given as loan to 73,796 women SHGs. Many people benefit through these groups,” Palaniswami added.
Palaniswami said it was DMK which tried to prevent the government from giving Pongal gift hampers to people by filing a case in court. “It was because of the instigation of Stalin that a case was filed by his partyman in court. But justice won and people got the gift hampers and celebrated the festival happily,” he said.
He further said many government and private company employees get bonus during festivals. “Why the same can’t be done for the poor. The government has plans to implement one such scheme and it will be ensured that it is not stopped at any cost,” he added.