COIMBATORE: In a major hint on drastic changes in the political calculations of AIADMK, general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami on Sunday distinguished between the party’s principles and the political stand for making alliances.
“An alliance is strategised at the time of polls to defeat an opponent, whereas a party’s principle should be a permanent one. Ours will not be a permanent alliance like that of the DMK. If an alliance should be permanent, then why not all individual parties in an alliance merge (into a single entity)?” he asked while addressing the media in Salem. This has led to speculations of possible accommodation of parties with different political orientations than that of AIADMK into its alliance.
Further, the leader of the opposition said AIADMK raises issues concerning people, unlike the allies of DMK. “The crime rate is skyrocketing like gold and silver prices. We are not blaming the government but only pointing to the reality. The law and order situation has completely deteriorated in the last four years of the DMK rule,” he said.
Claiming that Chief Minister MK Stalin is enacting a drama on the delimitation issue only to hide his inefficiency, Palaniswami mocked that the ruling party MPs were staging protests outside Parliament instead of raising the issue inside. “Even the Congress MPs have not participated in the protest,” he said.
Palaniswami said the Joint Action Committee (JAC) meeting participated by Chief Ministers of various states was a drama enacted to cover up corruption in the DMK government. “Reports have come of Rs 1,000 crore corruption in liquor sales. In this DMK rule, corruption has become pervasive in all departments,” he said.
Ruling out the possibility of accepting Sasikala, TTV Dhinakaran and O Panneerselvam in AIADMK, Palaniswami refused to reply to a query over speculations on extending support to PMK in the Rajya Sabha polls. Further, Palaniswami said the DMK had implemented only 15 per cent of its 525 poll promises.