CHENNAI: The ruling DMK on Thursday hit out at AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami over his comments on its alliance partners and termed it as "unnecessary."
Ridiculing Palaniswami for criticising VCK, a key ally of the DMK, senior DMK minister SS Sivasankar said, "Edappadi criticises this alliance, which has such a good relationship with its partners. In his alliance, Palaniswami has not only given more seats to the BJP than last time, but a situation has arisen where many parties are contesting under the BJP's symbol," he said.
Palaniswami has given a very large space in Tamil Nadu to Lotus, which secured a position below NOTA in the past election, he said.
"Palaniswami is making it clear that the future of AIADMK will be the same as the situation that befell Nitish Kumar in Bihar, the situation faced by the Shiv Sena and the NCP in Maharashtra. AIADMK will befall the fate of the regional parties in Goa that were swallowed by the BJP while being in alliance with them," he said.
Denying Palaniswami's charges that the DMK had neglected development in Chennai, senior DMK leader PK Sekarbabu said, "Under CM Stalin, the magnificent North Chennai Development Scheme was launched." According to him, the scheme has improved the quality of life in north Chennai, where safe drinking water, smooth sewage flow and uninterrupted power supply are being provided. "Government schools have been upgraded on par with the private ones," he told reporters here. He also cited the inauguration of a bridge in T Nagar here to ease traffic congestion.
Recalling Palaniswami's 2021 election claim that Rs 1,000 crore had been spent on stormwater drains, Sekarbabu alleged that Chennai suffered during the first heavy rainfall due to the AIADMK regime's failures. "Under the DMK regime, a committee was formed and based on the recommendations, stormwater structures were built, and as a result of desilting of ponds, lakes and canals, the government has prevented flooding and raised the city's groundwater levels," he said.