Modi holding kangaroo court to settle AIADMK faction row: Stalin

Talking to media persons after overseeing lake desilting works being undertaken by his party men at Sholinganallur constituency, Stalin asserted that the meetings were happening only for political reasons and the PM was doing his job of splitting and reuniting the warring AIADMK factions well like running a kangaroo court. 

Taking a dig at the PM for refusing to host the state farmers earlier, the DMK working president said, “Chief Minister’s name was first in the list seized during raids conducted by the I-T department in connection with distribution of Rs 89 crore cash to voters and Panneerselvam holds all kinds of ties with sand mafia don Sekar Reddy. Prime Minister Modi has time to host them, but not the farmers, who are the backbone of the country.” Stalin had recently issued a statement questioning the PM for not granting him audience as well. 

Reacting to a pointed query on the desilting works being undertaken by his party, he said the hopes of farmers would flourish if Mettur Dam was desilted. A sarcastic Stalin added, “Put the query to thermocol-fame state Co-operatives Minister Sellur K Raju, who had suggested that it was not sufficient to desilt lakes, but dams 

should be done too.”

The Leader of Opposition also urged the state government to increase the procurement price of cane to RS 3,500 per tonne in the light of insufficient hike offered by the Centre to cane farmers. Recalling the 2011 election manifesto of the AIADMK, Stalin reminded the Chief Minister of the reneged promise and said the CM should take adequate steps to ensure immediate settlement of outstanding sugarcane dues of nearly Rs 2,000 crore to farmers by cooperative and private sugar mills within a specified period.