The Tamil Nadu Congress Committee (TNCC), which has been firmly sailing in the DMK boat since the 2016 general elections, is toeing the line of the main Opposition party in criticising the functioning of the Edappadi K. Palaniswami government, which will complete a year on Friday. Like the DMK, TNCC president Su. Thirunavukkarasar is of the view that the Tamil Nadu government is surviving only because of the support of the Central government. In an interview, he accused the AIADMK of having failed on all fronts. Excerpts:
In your assessment, how has the Edappadi Palaniswami government performed over the past year?
It has failed to perform. Problems like the Cauvery river water issue have not been resolved [the Supreme Court is set to deliver its verdict on Friday]. Farmers are affected. In coastal areas, fishermen are affected. Hundreds of fishermen died due to Cyclone Ockhi. Some 200 boats belonging to fishermen have been seized by the Sri Lankan Navy. There is no industrial growth; nearly 90 lakh youngsters have registered themselves at the employment offices.
How then has this government survived?
People voted for an AIADMK government not because of (Deputy Chief Minister) O. Panneerselvam or Palaniswami. They voted for Jayalalithaa. Unfortunately, after Jayalalithaa’s demise, chaos has gripped the party. The ruling party is divided. I feel that even Panneerselvam and Palaniswami are not united. Without even a murmur, they are accepting everything from the Centre. In turn, they have not got anything from the Centre. The only thing is that the Central government has helped them to continue in power.
But the Opposition has not been able to take advantage of this situation…
A no-confidence motion will pass based on the number of MLAs, not on the achievements of the government. Opposition parties have taken the failure of the government to the people and the people are waiting for an opportunity to teach them a lesson. That is the Opposition’s achievement. Various cases of roughly 30 MLAs are pending in the Madras High Court. If some decision comes against the Speaker’s order, this government may collapse.
The Opposition is united; but won’t too many parties in the DMK alliance diminish your importance in it?
Electoral alliances will be decided only before the election. Now, like-minded parties are working together against this government. New parties may join; some may not. The Congress is a major party in this alliance. After the split in the AIADMK, the Congress is the second-largest party in the State.
