Expelled AIADMK leader O Panneerselvam (OPS) asserted on Wednesday that the full credit for the Athikadavu-Avinashi scheme belongs solely to former Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa. His statement came in response to the ongoing controversy following AIADMK senior leader KA Sengottaiyan’s decision to boycott a felicitation event for AIADMK General Secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami (EPS) in Coimbatore.Sengottaiyan had cited the absence of portraits of AIADMK stalwarts M G Ramachandran and J Jayalalithaa on the event’s posters as his reason for skipping the event. His move sparked debates within the party regarding the scheme’s credit.
In an attempt to settle the dispute, OPS firmly rejected claims that Palaniswami played a key role in implementing the project. “It was under the leadership of J Jayalalithaa that the scheme was initiated to benefit Coimbatore, Tirupur, and Erode districts. No one else should claim credit for it,” he said.
He further highlighted that Jayalalithaa had submitted a memorandum to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on August 7, 2015, requesting Rs 1,862 crore for the scheme. It was also included in the interim budget for 2016-17, and the AIADMK government had sanctioned Rs 3.27 crore for the project on February 18, 2016.
Jayalalithaa had even made the scheme a key promise during the 2016 election campaign, which led to the AIADMK’s victory. “Even though she is no longer with us, the credit for this project remains with our late leader. No one but her should take credit,” OPS emphasized, countering the claims made by EPS’s supporters.