Chennai: Accusing chief minister M K Stalin of steering an “useless, empty model and puppet regime,” AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami on Wednesday challenged him to a one-on-one debate with him. “Bring as many slips as you want. Let’s see,” Palaniswami said, hours after Stalin alleged that the previous AIADMK regime “mortgaged the state’s rights and placed it at Delhi’s feet”.
Taking to X, Palaniswami said the “history of DMK’s betrayal” was endless and questioned their legitimacy in criticising the AIADMK. He said DMK aligned with Congress that imposed Hindi first, forgetting the basic objective of forming the party, and initially supported the PM-SHRI scheme. “Does the DMK have any locus standi to talk about AIADMK?” he asked.
Palaniswami accused DMK of several actions detrimental to Tamil Nadu’s interests, citing the memorandum of understanding for the methane-hydrocarbon scheme in the delta. He blamed DMK for introducing NEET, impacting students’ aspirations. He criticised DMK’s handling of the tungsten mineral block auction in Arittapatti, suggesting “the govt attempted to jeopardise the livelihoods of people of Madurai”.
Palaniswami said, “Despite being in alliance with BJP, AIADMK protected Tamil Nadu by making announcements of 7.5% reservation, protected agricultural zones, brought in Cauvery water management authority, and ensured none of state rights were taken away.”