Building a temple alone won’t fetch votes, EPS’s veiled attack on BJP

COIMBATORE: AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami on Wednesday made a veiled attack on BJP, saying people will not vote for a party just because it has built a temple in Ayodhya.

Addressing the media in Salem, Palaniswami said, if that is the case, then AIADMK would easily win every polls for building so many temples. “It was during the AIADMK rule that ‘annadanam’ was started in major temples, consecrations done and renovations carried out,” he said.

Stating that AIADMK is beyond religion and treats people of every faith equally, Palaniswami also said special funds were given by AIADMK government to churches and mosques to carry out renovation works.

Attacking the DMK, Palaniswami said the youth wing conference in Salem received less than 1.5 lakh cadre as against their expectation of five lakh cadre and most of the chairs in the venue remained empty. “However, the recent AIADMK’s conference in Madurai received a record turnout of 15 lakh people,” he said.

Slamming the DMK government for failing to scrap NEET, the AIADMK leader said it is a drama enacted by DMK to deceive people ahead of polls.

“Even the anti-NEET signatures received from people were found littered in the conference venue. Resolutions adopted in the DMK conference were of no use to people,” he said, adding that the INDIA block will disintegrate soon as parties with different principles and ideologies cannot stay together.

Palaniswami also said that AIADMK will commence work to prepare the election manifesto on Thursday.