‘Take strict action against those spreading rumours against migrants’

CHENNAI: AIADMK interim general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami on Sunday urged the state government to take legal action against those spreading rumours about the migrant workers.

"When the new industries are opened, they require workers. There is no second opinion that our local workers should be given priority. Due to a shortage of local workers, workers from other states are coming here. They should be protected. Only then the industries will grow and the state will develop economically, " he said while addressing a rally to mark the 75th birth anniversary of former chief minister J Jayalalithaa at RK Nagar.

On the Erode East by-poll defeat, Palaniswami accused the ruling DMK of bribing the voters and alleged that the money power of the DMK won over the democracy in the by-poll.

"During the by-poll campaign, we were not able to meet the voters as they were taken away by the DMK and locked in tents. The voters were kept at a place paying Rs 500 each and food for the last 20 days, " he said, adding that the voters were given money and gifts by the ruling party.

Hitting out at the DMK for making false promises to win the assembly polls, he said that women voted for the DMK thinking that they would get Rs 60,000 in five years through a women's assistance scheme promise of Rs 1000 every month.

"After 22 months in power, the women voters have lost Rs 22,000," he said, adding that DMK also did not fulfil its promise of Rs 100 su subsidy for LPG cylinder, education loan waiver and petrol/diesel price reduction.

The former chief minister said that the ruling DMK has burdened the people by hiking electricity charges and taxes.

"Electricity charges will be hiked six per cent every year. The property tax has been increased steeply by the corporation and imposed a tax on garbage as well, " he said.

He noted that the welfare schemes launched by the AIADMK government were being shelved.

He also hit out at the DMK government over the deteriorating law and order situation.

He cited the incident of sexual assault on a woman police at a DMK event attended by Kanimozhi.