The DMK, unable to digest good response to the ‘Pongal gift hamper’ announcement and the assistance of ₹2,500 to rice cardholders, was making baseless allegations against the AIADMK rule in a vain attempt to divert people’s attention, Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami said while speaking to reporters at the airport her eon Tuesday.
Reacting to the “corruption list” submitted by DMK president M.K. Stalin to Governor Banwarilal Purohit, Mr. Palaniswami said the DMK that could not prove in courts the corruption charges it had earlier levelled against the AIADMK government had come up with similar charges once again.
After the courts rejected the DMK’s charges terming them an attempt to gain political mileage, the Opposition had submitted a list to the Governor. While almost all former Ministers of the DMK were facing corruption charges and disproportionate assets cases, the party chief was making false allegations against the AIADMK.
Justifying the State government’s decision to give ₹2,500 as ‘Pongal gift,’ Mr. Palaniswami said the decision to enliven the poor families during the festival was taken based on the recommendations of the Rengarajan Committee.
He said there was no foul play in awarding road/bridges contracts to a company, reportedly owned by his relatives.
“After submitting online tenders, the company became the successful bidder and paid online the Earnest Money Deposit (EMD) or gave bank guarantee. Every aspect of this tendering system is put in place in a transparent manner. I have no role in this connection and did not know if my relative was bidding to bag the tender,” he said and listed out the “inflated contracts” awarded during the DMK regime for laying roads between Arcot and Thiruvarur, Nagapattinam and Ramanathapuram, and between Ramanathapuram and Thoothukudi.
He said the State had attracted industrial investments to the extent of ₹60,000 crore even during the pandemic “thanks to investor-friendly policies”.
On the DMK’s target of winning 200 Assembly constituencies in the ensuing poll, Mr. Palaniswai said they could even fix the target of winning 300 seats.
“But the people, who have witnessed the DMK’s corrupt and authoritarian administration, will never support it as they (DMK men) are working for their people (families) and not for the people of Tamil Nadu.
After Karunanidhi, Stalin has become the DMK president and is dreaming of becoming the CM. After Stalin, his son Udhayanidhi will be the DMK chief and will dream of becoming the CM with the support of his father. But the people hate the DMK’s dynasty politics so that they will never support it,” he said.
While asserting that the people landing at Chennai airport were being screened and quarantined even as the COVID-19 variant threat was looming large, the CM appealed to the public to wear masks.
“This is the only effective way available before us now to protect ourselves from the viral infection”.