CHENNAI: AIADMK general secretary and former Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami on Friday charged the DMK government of not taking steps to buy all paddy crops arriving at Direct Procurement Centres (DPCs), saying that paddy stocks are piling up in Tenkasi and Thanjavur districts.

Palaniswami cited media reports to allege a procurement-related lacuna in the Tenkasi district. Heaps of paddy bags are lying like mounds of mud at the Vadakarai paddy procurement centre, Palaniswami said.

"If it were asked with the DMK ministers about it, they are likely to say, That's just a heap of soil. They will tell you all sorts of lies, such as, 'the mud is for construction purposes.' Or will say 'it's fake news,'" Palaniswami mocked.

The ruling party politicians might go so far as to say that Palaniswami has dumped all the paddy there to tarnish the image of the DMK government, the Leader of the Opposition took a jibe.

He alleged that the innocent farmers and people of the State continue to suffer under this government. "Similarly, there are reports from Pillaiyarpatti in Thanjavur district that due to a shortage of labourers to unload paddy at the Tamil Nadu Civil Supplies Corporation godown, trucks loaded with paddy have been waiting for five days."

As a responsible opposition party, we have raised these issues with concern for farmers' welfare, he said. Instead of taking any action, they are simply dismissing it, saying, "The opposition leader is unleashing lies."