Edappadi slams DMK for spending crores on conducting F4 night street race

COIMBATORE: AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami on Sunday slammed the DMK government for planning to spend crores on conducting a Formula 4 night street race in Chennai, allegedly using taxpayers' money and batted for taking up people welfare projects.

“It’s painful to know that the state government is spending crores to conduct a car race instead of utilising the money to fulfill the basic needs of people,” he said to the media after inaugurating a new classroom building in Edappadi in Salem.

The Indian Racing Festival (IRF) is set to make history with its inaugural night race at the Chennai Formula Racing Circuit from August 30 to September 1. Though the government had proposed to conduct the race event in 2023, it was dropped in the light of heavy floods due to cyclone Michaung.

Alleging that drug use has become rampant in Tamil Nadu, the AIADMK leader said the student community has been affected by the inaction of the state government. “Being so, what is the necessity now to conduct a car race?” he asked.

The Leader of Opposition also criticised the ruling DMK for raising prices of essential items including rice and the hike in power tariff and property tax, stating that these decisions have hurt the common people a lot.

Palaniswami went on to say that the Mettur surplus water scheme, brought in during the AIADMK regime for irrigation purposes, has been placed in cold storage, causing excess water to drain into the sea instead.

Several other projects including the Athikadavu-Avinashi drinking water supply-cum-irrigation scheme and the Salem smart city scheme have not been taken up, he accused.

“The AIADMK brought a lot of schemes such as Amma mini clinic, a government arts college, a new water scheme, a new bridge across Sarabanga River while the DMK has not implemented any scheme in Salem,” the AIADMK chief alleged.