Addressing an event organised here to bring former CM O Panneerselvam’s supporters to DMK, days after the expelled AIADMK leader joined the ruling party, Stalin said OPS is synonymous with loyalty and alleged AIADMK chief Palaniswami is the “epitome of betrayal”.
Palaniswami would do anything to protect himself, and do you know what his “peak betrayal” was? It is the mortgaging of the AIADMK — nurtured by leaders MG Ramachandran and J Jayalalithaa — with the BJP, the CM said.
Stalin said Palaniswami was of the view that the BJP would do good to him. He alleged: “In fact, the BJP never does anything good to anyone.
Referring to the cooking gas price hike, Rs 60 per cylinder, he said it was a gift to women on the eve of Women’s Day. PM Modi claimed to have reduced women’s burden by effecting a cut of Rs 100 per cylinder in 2024.
“Why has he today increased the burden? Likening the hike to “vote-theft” allegation, the CM asked if it was fair to take away money from people by hiking prices.
He reiterated his allegation that the BJP regime at the Centre tried to scuttle the release of monthly assistance to women under the guise of the upcoming Assembly polls.However, his DMK government disbursed Rs 5,000 (Rs 1,000 per month for 3 months and Rs 2,000 summer grant) each to 1.31 crore women beneficiaries. The assistance to women will be increased to Rs 2,000 per month following the win in the polls.
The DMK is all about formulating schemes for people and doing good to them, and the BJP stands for taking away everything from them.
Taking a swipe at the ruling party at the Centre, Stalin said, “Is the BJP, which does not do anything good, going to do any good to the AIADMK? It will suck the AIADMK’s blood, and only that is going to happen,”
If Palaniswami had any doubts over this, he must look at Bihar and the information that Nitish Kumar is set to step down as the chief minister is shocking, the CM said.
The CM said, “Palaniswami will meet the same fate as Nitish Kumar.”
As per the information he had, Stalin claimed the BJP has already chosen its nominee for the office of AIADMK general secretary, the top post now held by Palaniswami.
He alleged: “Only till this election, can Palaniswami continue (as AIADMK chief). Later, he will be eased out of his position. Only that is going to happen. If he had refused to join hands with the BJP, they would have changed him immediately. The AIADMK has gone under the BJP’s control to such an extent. Palaniswami is helping the BJP to develop itself by getting the votes of AIADMK workers.”
The AIADMK-led alliance is only referred to as NDA at meetings, and if the BJP’s pattern of working is studied, it could be inferred that Palaniswami’s fate will be similar to Nitish Kumar in Bihar and the Shiv Sena in Maharashtra.
Addressing Panneerselvam’s supporters who were joining DMK at the event, Stalin said, “Since you understood this in advance, you are today joining the DMK, which is the parent Dravidian party; work hard, your work will be recognised”.
Speaking at the event, Panneerselvam said that AIADMK under the present leadership was not the party that was once nurtured by late Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa, but has been “usurped” by Edappadi K Palaniswami.
Palaniswami altered the party bylaws laid down by founder M G Ramachandran and “snatched away” the party members’ rights, and he was keen only on sustaining himself, Panneerselvam alleged.
“The present AIADMK is going against the Dravidian principles and social justice policy of former Chief Minister C N Annadurai. Realising that continuing in AIADMK would be against self-respect, I decided to join the DMK, accepting the leadership of M K Stalin,” the former chief minister said.
OPS, the expelled AIADMK leader, has joined the DMK along with his former MP son O Ravindranath, in the presence of Stalin on February 27 in Chennai.
