What’s holding you back — fear or loyalty?

CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu’s major opposition All India Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), equally a major contributor to offering freebies, is extremely reticent about the ongoing debates and legal outcomes in connection with the freebies.

The party is in the terrain of infighting and has never stopped responding or making scathing attacks on the ruling DMK. Cutting across political differences, both Edappadi K Palaniswami and O Panneerselvam have been criticising the State government daily but failed to chronicle their position on freebies.

AIADMK supremo J Jayalalithaa was phenomenal, much like her political rival M Karunanidhi, in offering freebies – laptops, fans, grinders, mixer grinders, etc. Following her footsteps, EPS offered free scooters, country chicken for the rural public, free Pongal gift hamper with cash and promised to give tablets, mobile phones to the people. Legally, the DMK is the front runner to defend the case. EPS, who comes out to touch on the Supreme Court’s critical observation against the DMK’s counsel, had no words to assert AIADMK’s stance regarding the freebies. Though a plethora of cases is pending before the courts regarding the AIADMK power tussle, there is no legal impediment if leaders want to make a statement in favour/against freebies or welfare schemes.

So the question is whether the AIADMK workers/cadres consider the silence of their leaders as loyalty or fear of the Union power.