EPS meets Shah, dicusses about Law and Order issue in TN

CHENNAI: AIADMK interim general secretary and former chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi on Tuesday and discussed the prevailing situation in Tamil Nadu.

Soon after the meeting, Palaniswami said that it was a courtesy call and politics was not discussed. However, the AIADMK leader said he had asked the minister to implement the Godavari-Cauvery river link to solve the drinking water issues of the people in several districts of the State.

"We also requested to implement the long pending Nadanthai Vaazhi Cauvery project to restore the Cauvery and its tributaries," he added. "In addition, we also informed that law and order has deteriorated in the State besides indicating the availability of narcotics substances have increased in the State," he continued.

The Leader of Opposition in the House also charged that the DMK government has failed to take steps to curb the drug menace in the State.

"Though the State Higher Education Minister had recently informed that the drugs were imported from other states, it was up to the government for taking steps to stop drugs coming into the State," he said.

Accusing the DMK government of increasing the electricity tariff, the AIADMK leader said when the people were slowly limping back to normal from the pandemic, increasing the power tariff at this juncture was unnecessary. "When we were in power the then Opposition DMK protested against the power tariff hike," he pointed out.

To a question on rebel leader O Panneerselvam's State-wide tour, Palaniswami said: "I also visited more than 20 districts, including conducting protest demonstration in Chennai against the power tariff hike".

However, the AIADMK interim general secretary refused to comment on the internal party issue and concluded: "The matter was with the court and it would not be nice to comment on the issue at this point in time".