Palaniswami claims DMK sought Centre’s approval for tungsten mining

Citing media reports, AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami on Friday claimed the DMK government had sought the approval of the Union Government for tungsten mining at Melur in Madurai district. “However, now the DMK is raising objections after people were against this project. Chief Minister M.K. Stalin is staging a drama by writing a letter to the Union government against the project,” claimed the Leader of Opposition.

Interacting with journalists in Salem, he said, the law and order was at its worst under the DMK regime and cited the murder of three members of a family in Tiruppur district. “Every day, murder, theft, and crime against women are reported in the State, and the ruling DMK government failed to prevent this,” he said.

He also countered Municipal Administration Minister K.N. Nehru’s charge that he (Palaniswami) was the reason behind the hike in property tax. The AIADMK leader said when his party was in power, the property tax was not hiked. “The DMK had in its 2021 election manifesto, promised to not hike the property tax. If Mr. Nehru’s claim is true, then did DMK make fake promise to the people,” he asked.

The Union and State governments should reduce the taxes, considering the burden on the people, he said.

Mr. Palaniswami said during the DMK regime in 2010, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed for extracting methane and ethane in the Delta region. But agriculture is a state subject, the AIADMK regime announced the delta region as a protected special agricultural zone to save the farmers and agriculture, he added.

The former Chief Minister also participated in a review meeting with AIADMK functionaries at the AIADMK party office in Omalur. In the meeting, functionaries expressed their views to face the 2026 Assembly elections. Later, Mr. Palaniswami addressed the media.

Responding to a question on clash between the AIADMK cadres in the review meeting held recently in some districts, Mr. Palaniswami said unlike the DMK, the AIADMK is not a “party of slaves”. “It is an independent party. In the review meetings, functionaries explaining their views and healthy discussion are taking place. But in Tiruchi district, last year, the DMK party MP’s house was attacked by DMK cadres,” Mr. Palaniswami alleged.

Published - November 29, 2024 09:09 pm IST