AIADMK, DMK lock horns over poll victory in TN House

The Tamil Nadu Assembly Friday saw a heated debate between AIADMK and DMK on their recent poll performances, with Chief Minister K Palaniswami asserting that the principal opposition's win was not a true victory since they had given tall promises which cannot be implemented.

DMK's K Sundar,initiating the debate on demands for grants grants to the Handlooms and Textiles department,said his party chief M K Stalin had bagged a big victory for the party led alliance in 38 of the 39 Lok Sabha seats (including one in Puducherry; election was not held to Vellore).

It had emerged as the third biggest party in the Lok Sabha, snatching away the tag from AIADMK, which had always prided itself as the one holding it after the 2014 elections.

The DMK MLA hailed his party leadership,saying that while party founder C N Annadurai stormed to power in 1967, his follower, late party patriarch M Karunanidhi, created a yet to be broken history of capturing 184 seats in the 1971 Assembly elections.

Stalin's win in continuation of such a spree of victories, he said.

Responding to it, Chief Minister K Palaniswami said the same DMK had lost its deposit in the RK Nagar bypolls here in 2017. He asserted that DMK's victory was not a 'true victory' since it came following tall promises, "assurances contradictory to the truth," which cannot be implemented. "In the next polls, people will give us true victory," Palaniswami said.

Forest Minister C Sreenivasan said people voted for the AIADMK in nine of the 21 constituencies in the bypolls (thereby ensuring the government's continuance in power), proving that the incumbent regime was "Amma's government."

Fisheries Minister D Jayakumar said the party losing in the Lok Sabha polls was only a "temporary setback," and victories and defeats alternated in politics.

He hit out at the DMK, saying to implement their poll promises it may require a budget corresponding to that of the the Union government, approximately Rs 15 lakh crore.

He said while AIADMK has been in the seat of power in Tamil Nadu for the longest period of time, it was the DMK which faced most poll defeats.

DMK whip R Sakkarapani said his party would continue its victory streak and go on to win the 2021 Assembly polls.