Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami, who claimed to be a farmer, had betrayed the interests of farmers by supporting the Centre’s three farm laws, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam women’s wing secretary and MP M.K. Kanimozhi said while campaigning at Thippampatti, near Pollachi, on Wednesday.
The Chief Minister had mortgaged the State’s interests, rights, Tamil pride and self-esteem with the Central Government, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah to such an extent that he would not speak against the farm laws, she said. He compromised the State’s and his party’s interests and announced his party’s decision on the laws only in New Delhi.
Stating there was no development in the State in the last 10 years of AIADMK rule, she said “There has been no investment in the State, youth are without jobs and in such circumstances, people from other States are taking away jobs that belong to Tamils”.
Ms. Kanimozhi claimed that the farm laws had opened the doors for corporate companies to determine what farmers should sow and how much should they harvest. “Now corporate companies are going to tell you [farmers] whether you should cultivate paddy or coconut. And, if you do not follow their instruction, they will stop buying the produce and you cannot fight them in court.”
Earlier in the day, she told weavers in Malaiyandipattinam that when the DMK returned to power, it would enhance the free power units and build better houses for them. She also said the DMK would look into their demands for pension for weavers over 60 years of age.
Later, speaking in Udumalpet, Ms. Kanimozhi said Mr. Palaniswami should not claim to be a farmer, as he had not understood the farmers’ pain. Though not a farmer, DMK president M.K. Stalin understood their pain.
Mr. Palaniswami was only keen on retaining power and managed to do so by betraying the people around him and those who had helped him become the Chief Minister. This was the reason why the AIADMK government had not sincerely probed the circumstances that led to the death of their leader Jayalalithaa, and Mr. Palaniswami went to on to induct in his cabinet O. Panneerselvam, who had raised doubts over her death.
