Chennai, Oct 21:
AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami has criticised Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay over a major methamphetamine seizure in Nagapattinam district and accused the ruling Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) government of adopting a double standard in dealing with political opponents.
Palaniswami referred to the seizure of 137 kg of processed methamphetamine crystals, reportedly worth around Rs 400 crore, from N Boopalan, a TVK functionary from Nagapattinam district. The operation was carried out by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), a central agency. The AIADMK leader questioned why Vijay had not publicly addressed the alleged connection involving a ruling party functionary and demanded an explanation from the Chief Minister. He also drew a comparison with the previous DMK government, referring to the arrest of DMK functionary Jaffer Sadiq by central agencies in connection with an alleged drug trafficking network.
The AIADMK also criticised the arrest of Naam Tamilar Katchi’s Dharapuram by-election candidate M Karthika and other party functionaries in connection with election-related cases. The party alleged that the arrests reflected political vendetta and questioned whether the police were being used to intimidate opposition leaders. It asked the government to withdraw what it described as high-handed action against the NTK members. The two developments have provided the AIADMK with an opportunity to question the government’s anti-drug campaign and its handling of political dissent. However, the allegations of selective policing and political interference remain claims made by the opposition and have not been independently established.