Coimbatore, Sept 29:
AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami on Monday accused the ruling Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) of targeting AIADMK functionaries with what he termed false cases during the Dharapuram by-election campaign and warned that he would lead a protest against Chief Minister and TVK president C Joseph Vijay if such actions continued.
Addressing an election meeting in Dharapuram, Palaniswami alleged that the TVK government was acting out of fear of defeat and attempting to curb the AIADMK’s campaign.
“If you try to curtail the AIADMK, we will only rise further,” Palaniswami said, while warning the police against allegedly foisting false cases on party functionaries involved in the election campaign. He said the AIADMK would not be intimidated and warned that he would personally lead a protest against Vijay if such action continued.
Palaniswami also targeted the TVK leadership over its efforts to attract AIADMK MLAs. He claimed that TVK Ministers were approaching AIADMK legislators and inviting them to join the ruling party.
Taking a broader swipe at the political composition of the ruling party, Palaniswami said a majority of those in the DMK and TVK had their political roots in the AIADMK. He described their movement to other parties as being akin to going on “deputation” after undergoing political training in the AIADMK.
Palaniswami also attacked Vijay over his decision to contest from two constituencies in the Assembly election. He claimed that Vijay did so because he lacked confidence in winning from a single constituency.
He further alleged that Vijay had come to power “by accident” and was now attempting to retain the government through what he described as horse-trading involving AIADMK MLAs.
The AIADMK leader also rejected allegations of an understanding between the AIADMK and DMK. Questioning the basis of such allegations, he asked why the two parties would contest separately if they had actually joined hands.
Palaniswami also referred to Vijay’s criticism of the DMK as an “evil force”, arguing that if the DMK’s alliance was being described in those terms, the TVK government formed with its allies should also be viewed in the same manner.
Referring to the Karur stampede case, Palaniswami said the fate of the present government would ultimately depend on the outcome of the case pending before the court. He also claimed that the government would not last long. These were political assertions made during his campaign and were not independently established in the report.
The AIADMK’s campaign comes amid an increasingly competitive by-election battle in Dharapuram, with leaders of the major parties making allegations against one another as polling day approaches.