Chennai: Reiterating its decision to snap ties with the BJP, Tamil Nadu’s principal Opposition, AIADMK, on Tuesday said it will face the 2024 Lok Sabha polls by “highlighting people’s problem” without a Prime Ministerial face and trained its gun on the ruling DMK over a slew of issues, including the “mishandling” of the floods in Chennai and southern districts.
At the first meeting of the General Council, the party’s highest decision making body, after the Election Commission of India (ECI) recognized him as the general secretary, Edappadi K Palaniswami devoted a major portion of his speech to tear into the DMK, especially Sports Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin, the de-facto no. 2 in the government.
Though making it clear that the decision to walk out of the BJP alliance is final, Palaniswami and the resolutions passed at the GC meeting went soft on the saffron party by not criticizing it or the Union Government. The only criticism of the BJP that Palaniswami made was while talking about the “step motherly” attitude of the national parties towards states like Tamil Nadu in allotting funds for handling natural calamities like rains and floods.
The former Chief Minister also accused Chief Minister M K Stalin of “blabbering” and talking about minorities as he is “worried” because of AIADMK snapping its ties with the BJP.
“We have already made it clear that there will be no alliance with the BJP. The decision to snap ties with BJP was taken unanimously at a party meeting on September 25. This is now giving sleepless nights to Stalin as he knows the minority votes will get split. Minorities were cheated by the DMK, but the AIADMK has always stood by them,” Palaniswami said.
He also said the AIADMK will go to the people seeking votes for the Lok Sabha without a Prime Ministerial candidate by highlighting the problems of the state.
“They ask who is your Prime Minister candidate? We don’t need one because we believe people are supreme. We will seek votes from them by promising to take up their issues in Parliament. There is no point in trusting the national parties,” Palaniswami added.
While blaming the state government for not taking enough precautions before the unprecedented rains, Palaniswami accused the DMK of having let down the people who voted for the party. He also blamed Stalin for attending the meeting of I.N.D.I.A. alliance leaders in New Delhi when southern districts were reeling under floods and claimed that rumblings within the Opposition alliance had already begun.
“The state government has been criticizing the Centre on several issues. They don’t know how to seek funds from the Centre. The Centre won’t give funds even if you plead with them. How will they give you funds if you don’t make an honest attempt?” he asked.
The GC meeting also adopted as many as 23 resolutions passed, 14 of which targeted the DMK government on various issues ranging from flood relief works to NEET.