AIADMK General Secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami (EPS) launched a strong attack on Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin at a public meeting in Vellore. He questioned Stalinās claim that youngsters call him “Appa” (father), asking, “When children suffer abuse and cry out āAppa, Appa,ā canāt the Chief Minister hear their cries?” EPS cited 107 POCSO cases and 56 sexual harassment cases reported in Tamil Nadu between January and mid-February.He accused Stalin of political opportunism, pointing out how DMK once protested PM Modiās visits but now welcomes him. He also criticized DMKās weakening role in the INDIA alliance and its failure to abolish NEET, control rising prices, and curb drug abuse.
EPS asserted that AIADMK would lead a strong alliance to victory in the 2026 elections.
Palaniswami also blamed the ruling DMK government for the steady rise in debt burden on the Stateās exchequer.
āThe DMK has borrowed around ā¹3.5 lakh crore since it came to power in 2021. Till then, the overall debt of the State government stood around ā¹5.18 lakh crore. Tamil Nadu generates around ā¹86,000 crore on its own and also gets around ā¹24,000 crore from the Centre. No path-breaking schemes have been launched despite huge borrowings and revenue generation,ā he alleged.
Against the backdrop of a heated political debate over Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s remark that the Centre will not release funds to Tamil Nadu until it adopts the National Education Policy (NEP) and its three-language policy, EPS āappealedā to the Central government to prioritise the welfare of the people of state and release the funds, rather than focusing on who is ruling the state.
āThey are refusing to provide Tamil Nadu with its due share of funds. We appeal to the union government to consider the welfare of the people of Tamil Nadu and not concern itself wit