2026 TN elections | Power-hungry DMK will trade Cauvery to appease Cong, alleges Edappadi K Palaniswami

TIRUCHY: AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami on Saturday accused DMK president MK Stalin of “craving for power” and neglecting Tamil Nadu’s farmers by giving space to Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister and Water Resources Minister DK Shivakumar, a strong proponent of the Mekedatu dam, which poses a direct threat to Delta irrigation.

Campaigning for AIADMK-led NDA candidates in Thanjavur alongside archrival-turned-ally TTV Dhinakaran, Palaniswami said the proposed dam would “turn the entire Delta region into a desert” and accused the DMK of failing to safeguard Tamil Nadu’s Cauvery water rights, allowing space for such a leader in TN. He was referring to DK Shivakumar's recent release of the Congress manifesto for Tamil Nadu and his upcoming poll campaign in Chengalpattu.

Highlighting AIADMK’s record, EPS said it was under former Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa that Tamil Nadu secured a favourable Cauvery verdict through sustained legal battles. “AIADMK MPs fought for the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA), stalled Parliament for 22 days and forced the BJP government to establish it. But DMK, which claims to oppose NEET, has neither raised the issue in Parliament nor staged such protests — they play a dual game,” he alleged.

Turning to political alliances, EPS accused the DMK of hypocrisy. “When DMK aligns with BJP, it is not communal. But when AIADMK aligns with BJP, they call it so,” he said, recalling DMK’s alliances with the BJP in the 1999 Lok Sabha and 2001 Assembly elections. “Now, AIADMK has aligned with BJP to dethrone the anti-people DMK government by consolidating votes, and we will succeed,” he asserted.

EPS also contrasted governance styles, claiming AIADMK maintained a “smooth relationship” with the BJP-led Union government and secured multiple projects, while the DMK’s “hostile approach” has resulted in missed funding opportunities. He claimed that the AIADMK will ensure a drug-free Tamil Nadu within three months of forming the government.

Meanwhile, AMMK general secretary TTV Dhinakaran, who shared the stage with EPS, praised his leadership and credited him with implementing several projects for Delta farmers. Dhinakaran said AIADMK alone could deliver development and claimed EPS’s four-year tenure matched the achievements of MGR and Jayalalithaa.