COIMBATORE: In a kind of role reversal, AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami on Sunday charged that the DMK has been turned into a slave of the Congress, after the ruling party had in the past accused the opposition party of being a stooge of the BJP.
The LoP attacked the former Chief Minister and rival O Panneerselvam for the first time after joining the DMK, saying, “It has now become clear who the real ‘B team’ of the DMK is. OPS is a betrayer getting rewarded in DMK.”
Campaigning in Erode, Palaniswami alleged that the Congress had built pressure on the DMK to secure 28 seats. “For nearly 20 days, both parties were engaged in a public spat over seat-sharing. Eventually, Congress extracted the number of seats it wanted by threatening the DMK,” he said.
He also recalled past alliance negotiations between the two parties, claiming that the Congress had previously sealed a deal with the DMK even as enforcement raids were underway during seat-sharing discussions.
Responding to Chief Minister MK Stalin’s remarks that the BJP would swallow the AIADMK, Palaniswami dismissed the claim and asserted that his party would remain independent and strong.
“No one can destroy the AIADMK.
It is a party that has remained pure and fearless, overcoming numerous challenges to stay strong. DMK is a party that cannot be saved by anyone,” he said. Palaniswami also criticised Stalin’s claim that the upcoming Assembly election would be a contest between “Tamil Nadu and Delhi.” According to him, the remark reflected the DMK leadership’s inability to politically challenge the AIADMK.
“Stalin cannot find any fault with the AIADMK’s past governance. That is why he is framing the election as a contest between Tamil Nadu and Delhi. The AIADMK is not a slave to anyone,” he said. Referring to the AIADMK’s alliance with the BJP, Palaniswami said Amit Shah had already clarified that the AIADMK would lead the alliance in the State and would secure a majority to form the government.