Insisting that law and order was being maintained effectively in Tamil Nadu, AIADMK leader and Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami on Sunday said the fact that the opposition leader and DMK president M.K. Stalin was going for his morning strolls in many cities, including Madurai, Tiruppur and Coimbatore, without hassle was proof of the prevailing conducive situation. Speaking at a rally, seeking votes for Jothimuthu, the PMK Dindigul Parliamentary constituency candidate, he claimed that when the DMK was in power between 2006 and 2011, undertaking morning strolls was impossible for leaders, especially, in cities like Madurai and Thoothukudi.
Nightmarish experience
“Today, he (Stalin) is freely moving around anywhere he wants to and there is no problem at all. This reflects good governance and no interference with the police in handling anti-social elements,” Mr. Palaniswami added. The AIADMK leader alleged that during the DMK regime, it was a nightmarish experience for not only small traders and shopkeepers, but even for many DMK functionaries, who were under constant threat from mercenaries. The AIADMK government gave protection to all and unlike the DMK or the Congress, his party fulfilled promises in its past election manifesto, Mr. Palaniswami said and accused the DMK of giving ticket to the kith and kin of leaders. On the contrary, in the AIADMK, with an ordinary background, a person like him had been appointed to the top job in the State, he added.
Earlier, in his address Forest Minister Dindigul C. Srinivasan claimed that a city like Dindigul had benefited to the tune of ₹1,000 crore in the last three years and assured many more projects for the constituency.