We are not scared of facing elections, DMK is, says EPS

SALEM: A day after the state government informed the Supreme Court about its inability to conduct the local body polls, chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami said on Sunday that it will held after three months.
“The state election commission has sought three months time for conducting the elections to the civic body posts. So the polls would be held after three months for sure,’’ Palaniswami told reporters in Salem.
Replying to a PIL which sought local body elections, the state government has said in its affidavit that the elections could not be conducted by May 31 as per the direction of the Madras high court due to unavailability of government officials who are held up with the Lok Sabha elections. The government also cited the need for delimitation of wards according to 2011 census. The elections to the posts, including ward members, panchayat presidents, municipal councillors and mayors for rural and urban local bodies should have been conducted in Tamil Nadu in 2016 when the term of the last council ended.
“We are not scared of elections. AIADMK was ready to face the elections two years back when Amma (former chief minister J Jayalalithaa) was alive. It was the DMK that went to the court and stopped the elections. Later for the polls had to be held back due to various reasons,’’ he said reiterating that the polls would be conducted after three months. EPS alleged that even now it was Stalin who was scared of elections. “Stalin claims that the DMK would win the byelections in all the 22 assembly segments. If that is the case why is he moving a no-confidence motion against the speaker in the assembly?’’ he asked.
Alleging that Stalin and AMMK leader T T V Dhinakaran were hand in gloves, EPS said that there was a conspiracy to topple his government and break the party. “The fact that Stalin gets agitated for AIADMK whip complaining about three of ruling party MLAs is proof enough of the nexus between these three MLAs and DMK. This has brought to light the conspiracy by DMK president to break AIADMK,’’ he alleged.
“What is the link between Stalin and the three AIADMK MLAs that makes him move a no confidence motion? This is also a proof of nexus between Dhinakaran and DMK,’’ EPS alleged.