AIADMK govt in Tamil Nadu is missing in action, says Stalin

 

DMK working president MK Stalin said on Tuesday the AIADMK dispensation is at the mercy of the Bharatiya Janata Party and Centre and that the state is losing out because of the periodic visits of leaders of both the factions of the ruling party to “pay obeisance” to BJP leaders and Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Delhi.

In a blistering attack on the AIADMK government, Stalin said there seems to be no government in the state at all as the AIADMK is busy elsewhere.

The AIADMK made history in May 2016 after it managed to return to power under the leadership of J Jayalalithaa by breaking a three-decade long cycle of anti-incumbency. But, a bitter power tussle broke out after Jayalalithaa’s death in December 2016 and the party split into two factions.

One camp - AIADMK (Puratchi Thalaivi Amma) - was headed by former chief minister O Panneerselvam and the AIADMK (Amma) under E Palaniswami, a VK Sasikala loyalist. Both the camps agreed to merge but have failed to bridge their differences over demands that Sasikala, a long-time aide of Jayalalithaa, and her nephew Dinakaran are ousted from the party.

“One year has passed with no achievement. The government has only set a record in scams. They have emptied the treasury,” Stalin said in a hard-hitting statement adding that “this government came to power with a vote difference of a mere 1.1%.”

No investor is willing to come forward to invest in the state due to the misgovernance and non-governance that marks the one year of AIADMK rule under 3 different chief ministers – Jayalalithaa, Panneerselvam and Palaniswami – Stalin said.

He added all the 3 chief ministers have scored poorly in terms of the delivery of promises it made during the state polls.

This is not the first time Stalin has made allegations about the proximity between the AIADMK and the BJP.

In April, Stalin said that the Palaniswami government was a ‘proxy regime’ run by Prime Minister Modi and claimed it was not fighting to secure the Tamil Nadu’s rights.

The BJP is trying to gain a foothold in Tamil Nadu and has been eyeing a tie-up with AIADMK for long, but was spurned by its former boss late Jayalalithaa. Now, with AIADMK split into two factions, BJP senses a chance for a tie-up.

Speculations about an alliance with the saffron party have been rife and in fact, Panneerselvam gave credence to such guesswork by tweeting his intentions of getting cosy with the BJP, only to change it soon after, dropping BJP from the tweet.

Another senior DMK leader Durai Murugan told reporters in Madurai that things will begin to move only after the presidential elections to be held in July because the AIADMK factions are heavily dependent on Delhi for survival.

Stalin too has endorsed these views and, in fact, went a step further saying, “Tamil Nadu will have to go for elections sooner than we think.” He has even asked the party cadre to be prepared for any eventuality and has stepped up his public programmes.

The DMK working president also came out in support of women, who are leading an anti-alcohol agitation against the Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation (TASMAC), saying that the DMK had promised full prohibition. But the AIADMK was not interested in people’s welfare and was turning a blind eye to people’s protests against liquor.

“We are acting like a responsible opposition party and highlighting people’s problems,” Stalin said.

People are watching and the days of the AIADMK factions are numbered, he said.