EPS spreading baseless lies about tax, tariff hike: RS Bharathi

CHENNAI: DMK organising secretary on Friday accused Leader of Opposition Edappadi K Palaniswami of spreading baseless lies about property tax and EB tariff hike due to his inability to tolerate the popularity of Chief Minister M K Stalin.

Talking to media persons at party headquarters Anna Arivalayam late this evening, Bharathi took exception to the LoP’s critique of EB and property tax hike and said, “The popularity of Chief Minister M K Stalin has increased manifold during the last 15 month of the DMK regime. Unable to tolerate the public goodwill for the CM, Palaniswami has irresponsibly levelled some baseless allegations without basis and evidence to retain his cadre base.”

Reiterating that the Chief Minister and Local Administration Minister K N Nehru have explained the rationale behind the property tax hike sufficiently in the Assembly, Bharathi said, “In the name of agitation, he is uttering lies.”

Calling the Centre to his defence to justify the EB tariff hike, the DMK leader said that the Union government had threatened to deny grants if the State failed to hike EB tariff and property tax.

Recalling how he had successfully moved the Madras High Court as a municipal chairman in the past and stopped the steep tax hike implemented in the regime of J Jayalalithaa in the past, Bharathi sought to know if one of the resident’s associations, which are a plenty in the city, had moved the court this time.

He also added that the associations did not seek legal remedy because they were consulted by the government prior to the hike.

Attributing the EB tariff hike to deep debt (of TNEB) left by the previous AIADMK regime and corruption of its minister Thangamani, the DMK organising secretary wondered if the people would forget the tariff hike implemented during the AIADMK regime.

He also reasoned that the State government has been compelled to hike the tariff to comply with the Centre and avail grants besides the mounting debt of the board.