AIADMK’s reputation has not declined, only DMK’s vote share has: Palaniswami

“Ours is a strong party. In Namakkal, the Chief Minister said I am dreaming. I am not dreaming, rather Mr. Stalin is,” he said

AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami on Wednesday (October 23, 2024) refuted Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin’s allegation that the AIADMK’s reputation had declined in the State, while remarking that the DMK’s vote share had gone down in the 2024 Lok Sabha election.

Addressing party workers at Vanavasi in Mettur taluk, he said the AIADMK had won seven Assembly elections and was in power in the State for 30 years.

“Ours is a strong party. In Namakkal, the Chief Minister said I am dreaming. I am not dreaming, rather Mr. Stalin is daydreaming,” he said. 

Dismissing Mr. Stalin’s statement that AIADMK’s vote share had fallen while that of the DMK had gone up, Mr. Palaniswami pointed out that in the 2019 Lok Sabha election to the Namakkal constituency, the AIADMK candidate lost by 3 lakh votes, whereas the margin was reduced to 30,000 votes in the 2024 election. “This is a decline for the DMK and a gain for the AIADMK,” he added.

Taking another dig at the DMK, Mr. Palaniswami said the AIADMK secured 1% more votes in the 2024 Lok Sabha election compared to the 2019 election, but the DMK’s vote share dropped from 33.92% in the 2019 election to 26.50% in the 2024 election. “Vote share of the DMK had dropped by 7%,” he said.

Responding to Mr. Stalin’s allegation that the AIADMK government had done nothing for the welfare of the people for 10 years, the Leader of the Opposition said, “Mr. Stalin keeps telling lies.”

Mr. Palaniswami said the ₹562 crore scheme to divert surplus water from Mettur to refill 100 water bodies in Salem district was introduced by the AIADMK government. “Though the scheme was scheduled to be completed in 12 months, the DMK stalled the project for the last 41 months, and the surplus water remained unutilised,” he said.

Listing out various projects implemented by the AIADMK government in Namakkal district, including the ₹2,000-crore road work, he asked Mr. Stalin not to make false statements. “As Chief Minister, he should know the truth and speak it,” he cautioned.

He blamed the DMK for borrowing ₹3.5 lakh crore in three and a half years despite an increase in revenue of ₹56,000 crore, and asked, “Where did the revenue go? The people are questioning this.” The leader said despite facing a revenue loss of ₹1 lakh crore during COVID-19, the AIADMK government implemented various schemes, while the DMK “had done nothing” since coming to power.

The leader claimed that the prices of essential commodities were under control during the AIADMK regime, whereas people were now suffering due to rising costs. “One cannot construct a house now. Only in dreams can they do this, as the price of construction materials has skyrocketed,” he said.

He said the AIADMK was a strong party and that political parties would seek to form a coalition with them during the upcoming elections. Without naming specific parties, the leader asked, “They keep saying the AIADMK is facing losses in the elections. Did the DMK not face defeat for 10 years?”

Published - October 23, 2024 04:35 pm IST