BJP rakes up issues for polls, says EPS
AIADMK slams saffron party for ‘politicking’ Katchatheevu row, questions 10-year silence
AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami on Tuesday attacked the BJP for turning to select issues during election times, after wasting 10 years of rule in the Centre.
Brushing aside BJP’s the saffron party’s bid to rake up Katchatheevu as a mere election gimmick, while addressing a public meeting in Krishnagiri, EPS focused more on attacking the DMK government in the state.
Slamming the DMK government, Palaniswami said law and order have deteriorated in the state and the sale of drugs has become rampant. “Time has come for people to teach a befitting lesson to DMK and send it packing home. DMK is a corporate company involved in dynasty politics,” he said.
Countering Chief Minister MK Stalin’s claim that Tamil Nadu is at the forefront of development, the AIADMK leader said the state is leading only in corruption, ganja sales and borrowings.
“Only ten per cent of promises were fulfilled by the DMK government so far as against the golden rule of AIADMK when all promises were delivered. The DMK is fixing stickers on projects executed by the AIDMK,” he said.
Seeking votes for the party’s candidate V Jayaprakash, the AIADMK leader said after remaining silent over the last ten years, the BJP does not have any locus standi to raise issues such as the Katchatheevu during elections.
“When our fishermen were arrested by the Sri Lankan navy and languished in jail, the central government didn’t mind to interfere. Suddenly, the BJP shows love towards fishermen only for their votes,” he said.
Taking a dig at the Congress-DMK governments for giving up the rights of Tamil Nadu over the island in 1974, Palaniswami claimed that it was former chief minister J Jayalalithaa who genuinely fought for the issue.
In 2008, Jayalalithaa moved the Supreme Court over the issue and she wrote letters and met Prime Minister Narendra Modi demanding to reclaim Katchatheevu. “But, the central government didn’t heed our demands,” he said.
Later, Palaniswami addressed a public meeting in Dharmapuri canvassing votes for the party candidate R Ashokan.