AIADMK petitions TN Guv against DMK over corruption, others

CHENNAI: Levelling corruption allegations against the ruling DMK in Tamil Nadu, opposition AIADMK on Wednesday petitioned Governor R N Ravi seeking action and alleged law and order has 'collapsed' in the state.

AIADMK interim chief and Tamil Nadu Leader of Opposition K Palaniswami said the main opposition party has apprised the Governor of the 'bad situation' in the state in many sectors, especially law and order.

The DMK hit out at its rival, with Industries Minister Thangam Thennarasu alleging the AIADMK was making ''baseless charges'', but asserted his party was ready to face constructive criticism. He also wondered why the main opposition party did not press the governor to give his assent to Bills, some of whom were supported by the AIADMK also.

Ridiculing Chief Minister M K Stalin's oft-repeated statement of his government being a ''Dravidian model'' of governance that was development-oriented and inclusive in nature, Palaniswami said it was only about ''Commission, collection, corruption.'' ''We met the Governor to highlight the bad incidents in Tamil Nadu. In this 18-month DMK rule, law and order has completely collapsed,'' he told reporters after calling on Ravi at the Raj Bhavan here.

Crime including murders have become a daily affair and ''all this was happening due to an inefficient puppet chief minister ruling the state'', Palaniswami said.

The October 23 Coimbatore car explosion, in which the alleged perpetrator was killed, could have been averted if the state police had taken note of a central intelligence alert in this connection, he said.

The intelligence department knows where such elements are present and had the police acted on time, the incident could have been prevented, he said.

Palaniswami also claimed that corruption was widespread across all government departments.

''Commission, collection, corruption is the policy...this is the Dravidian model,'' he said.

Slamming the government over alleged short supply of medicines in hospitals, he said sufficient stocks of drugs were available in government hospitals during the previous AIADMK regime.

The party has raised all the issues with the Governor, who said he will look into them, Palaniswami added.

To a question on Ravi's style of functioning, the Leader of Opposition said ''it is good'' and claimed that is why the DMK opposed him.

The governor is at loggerheads with the state government over a number of issues, including giving assent to its Bill seeking exemption to Tamil Nadu from the National Entrance-cum-Eligibility Test (NEET) for medical courses.

Thennarasu, speaking to reporters, charged the AIADMK with making baseless allegations, unable to stand the ''good name'' that the DMK government had earned under Stalin in the last 18 months.

''We are ready to accept constructive criticism...no problem in facing criticism but it should be constructive. It should help growth and (AIADMK) should be a responsible opposition. Instead of that, making baseless charges on hearsay without any proof shows they are unable to stand the good name we have earned under the CM,'' the minister said.

He said he had a doubt if it was an attempt to show who had 'prominence' in the AIADMK amidst its internal squabbles, in an apparent reference to the leadership tussle in the opposition party involving O Panneerselvam.

On the Coimbatore blast, he said the police acted swiftly and cracked the case, booked the culprits under the strict Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, before the National Investigation Agency (NIA) took over the probe.