Bypoll will be warning for DMK, says EPS

COIMBATORE: AIADMK interim general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami on Thursday said the Erode East bypoll should be a warning for the DMK that it cannot betray people by giving false promises.

“The DMK has been blatantly lying of having implemented 85 per cent of its 520 poll promises made during the Assembly polls. This bypoll will be a warning sign for the DMK that it cannot betray people anymore to grab power,” he said, while addressing his first public meeting in Erode after securing the Two Leaves symbol. The party’s candidate KS Thennarasu was introduced at the meeting.

Further, Palaniswami said that the AIADMK’s victory in the bypoll would reflect in the Parliamentary polls. “It should be similar to the landslide victory of AIADMK under J Jayalalithaa in Yercaud bypoll, which turned out to be a precursor for the party to emerge as the third largest in the Parliament by winning 38 seats in 2014,” he added.

Claiming that the focus of all political parties and the nation is on the Erode East bypoll, EPS termed MK Stalin as a ‘puppet’ Chief Minister, who thinks only on collection, corruption and commission.

“Corruption has become pervasive in all departments. The Chief Minister thinks only on the welfare of his family members and not of people. This poll should end the family rule of DMK. The focus of DMK Ministers is also to make collections and not to serve the people,” he said.

Taking a further dig, Palaniswami said the DMK has done nothing useful in its last 21 months and it’s only achievement is to be involved in activities like ‘katta panchayat,’ drugs and rowdyism.

“The DMK has deputed 20 Ministers for bypoll campaign in Erode (East) constituency over fear of loss for their alliance candidate. This fear itself is a sign of victory for the AIADMK. For the polls, the official machinery should either function neutral or will have to face consequences, when the government and scenes change,” he added.

Palaniswami also asked the electorate to get any amount of money given by the DMK for votes as it is ‘your money,’ but should vote only for the AIADMK.

Listing out various anti-people activities of the DMK, including power tariff hike, property tax hike, stopping of old age pension, no Rs 1,000 for women and failure to scrap NEET, Palaniswami said, “in Erode, agriculture and textile sectors were the primary growth engines of the local economy. But, after the DMK came to power, it stopped orders for production of free ‘veshtis’ and ‘sarees’ for Pongal festival resulting in closure of power loom units and thousands of workers have lost their jobs.”