Stalin deliberately slandering me, has no intention of working hard to come to power, says Tamil Nadu CM K Palaniswami

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami accused DMK president M K Stalin of "deliberately slandering" him and his AIADMK government with false accusations and said the leader of the opposition has no intention of working hard to come to power.

Stalin was under the impression that he could capture power through a shortcut and dislodge the government, he said.

"But this will never work. All I can say to Stalin is that not a single AIADMK member can be ruffled. Moreover, people are solidly behind us," Palaniswami said while addressing a meeting during his poll campaign at Paramakudi on Saturday.

None can shake the dominance of the AIADMK following in the footsteps of great leaders and late chief ministers M G Ramachandran and J Jayalalithaa, who nurtured the party.

"Stalin attempted to break the AIADMK on several occasions but faced utter defeat because the people are with us," he said. "Only those who truly work hard can reach the highest level. We are really working hard and striving for people's well-being. Stalin's dream will turn into a mirage and will never come true," the chief minister said.

Palaniswami, who held a discussion with Devendra Kula Vellalar representatives in Paramakudi, informed that he has already forwarded the recommendation (of a panel under IAS officer Hansraj Varma) to the Centre to address the long pending demand of the community to categorise all seven sects in the community under the name of Devendrakula Vellalar.

The state department officials have been told to take up the issue with the Union government and implement it expeditiously.

"They have begun this work. You can hope to have this issue resolve in a month's time," he assured.

The Hansraj Varma committee was constituted in 2019 after demands for bringing Devendrakulathar, Kadaiyar, Kaladi, Kudumbar, Pallar, Vathiriyar and Pannadi under the title Devendrakula Vellalar.

The committee recommended to the state government that all seven be called Devendrakula Vellalar.

On the problems being faced by the district, Palaniswami said his government would soon implement the Cauvery-Gundar river linking project at a cost of Rs 14,000 crore, the biggest ever project initiated by his government, to transform the arid Ramanathapuram into a verdant and prosperous district.

Once the project is completed, waterbodies in parched areas will no longer remain dry, he said and added that the groundwater would also be recharged.

"Tenders for this project, which would irrigate nearly 1 lakh acres of land upon completion, has been awarded and the foundation stone will be laid soon," Palaniswami said.

The state government, which protects the interests of all sections including traders and weavers, is determined that none is affected due to political interference.

"Law and order should be maintained well if a business has to flourish. Only then the traders can carry out their chores without qualms." "In our AIADMK, we don't permit the collection of money from traders. Businesses can thrive only when there is money circulation among the people," the chief minister said while campaigning here.

He claimed that the law and order situation in Tamil Nadu is maintained better than other states in the country.