COIMBATORE: In a first clear communication after the recent Assembly polls, AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami has claimed that the party is still in the NDA and assured the alliance would prove its mettle in the upcoming local body polls.

The AIADMK chief said his party continued to remain part of the NDA and would demonstrate its strength in the forthcoming local-body elections.

He said that corruption had increased across government departments under the TVK regime. “Officials who earlier demanded Rs 10,000 as a bribe are now seeking Rs 20,000. The cash seizures during DVAC raids show that corruption exposes this truth. The government is seeking publicity for these raids through social media reels. How can this government be called a clean government?” he asked while speaking to reporters in Coimbatore.

“The TVK government is incurring recurring expenditure without generating corresponding revenue to address the financial deficit,” he said. Taking a swipe at Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay, Palaniswami said Vijay could aspire to become the President or Prime Minister of India, or even the President of the United States, but added that TVK’s political reels would not work any more.

On the Assembly's prolonged sittings, Palaniswami said proceedings should be conducted only within the stipulated hours. “The Assembly resembles scenes from films, with ministers failing to give proper replies to issues concerning their departments,” he said.