Tamil Nadu Law Minister S. Raghupathi has launched a scathing attack on AIADMK General Secretary and Opposition Leader Edappadi K. Palaniswami (EPS), calling him a corrupt and cowardly politician who is trying to gain political mileage from the tragic death of 41 people in Karur.In a statement, Raghupathi said that the Chief Minister had already responded with proof to all the baseless allegations made by EPS under the guise of raising questions. He added that when the Chief Minister exposed Palaniswami’s role during the Sterlite shooting incident that happened under the AIADMK regime, EPS fled the Assembly unable to confront the truth—and now dares to act tough on social media.
Raghupathi mocked EPS’s past behavior in the Assembly, recalling how he would speak boldly in front of empty opposition seats but is now resorting to hollow rhetoric. He also referenced the infamous Koovathur incident, saying that the same person who once hid under a table now talks about bravery after walking out of the Assembly.
Accusing Palaniswami of constantly living in fear of central agencies like the CBI and ED, Raghupathi remarked that EPS hides behind Prime Minister Modi and Union Minister Amit Shah. He questioned how someone so afraid could claim to protect the people of Tamil Nadu.Responding to EPS’s comments about wearing black bands, Raghupathi noted that the DMK government had passed a resolution opposing the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), but EPS and AIADMK members had been too afraid to even accept black badges in protest, fearing BJP displeasure. “Such cowards have no moral right to speak about black badges,” he said.
The minister also recalled that during the AIADMK rule, 48 people died in a stampede at the Mahamaham festival attended by Jayalalithaa, and AIADMK leaders had then dismissed the deaths by saying that those who died attained salvation.
Now, he said, EPS is hypocritically politicizing the Karur tragedy.Calling Palaniswami “the worst kind of politician Tamil Nadu has ever seen,” Raghupathi said he was shamelessly engaging in coalition politics over the deaths of 41 innocent people. He accused EPS of being a servant to the BJP and desperately seeking a subordinate of his own.
Raghupathi concluded by saying that EPS, who believes only WhatsApp rumors, has no right even to utter the word “truth.” He declared that the people of Tamil Nadu will never accept Palaniswami’s “graveyard politics.”