Chennai, April 9 AIADMK chief Edappadi K Palaniswami said on Thursday that he had only sought to know where Chief Minister M K Stalin "disappeared" during the pandemic, but did not make any wrong statements about him.
Addressing a poll rally in support of his party candidate Aadhi Rajaram in the high-profile Chepauk-Thiruvallikeni assembly constituency, he said, "You and your son Udhayanidhi spoke very negatively about me. Can this be accepted? If you make one statement, I can make ten. The weapon to retaliate is decided by my political opponents, not me. I will certainly respond."
Rajaram, a senior AIADMK leader, is contesting against Udhayanidhi Stalin, who is seeking re-election from this seat for the second time.
Palaniswami said, "In my 51 years of public life and politics, I have never personally criticised anyone, but the Chief Minister and the Deputy Chief Minister have been making slanderous remarks against me. I will not remain silent if I am unnecessarily tarnished, but I will immediately respond."
"Yesterday, while campaigning in Kolathur (where Stalin is contesting), I said that the Chief Minister did not provide proper guidance during the pandemic and that he was taking photoshoots. I asked where he had disappeared during the pandemic, and I did not make any wrong statements about him," he added.
The AIADMK leader clarified that he had only suggested that the CM could not be seen during the pandemic and did not say that "he had gone with the pandemic."
Reacting to the accusation, Stalin said, "When the DMK assumed office in May 2021, the state was in the grip of the second wave of the pandemic, while it first surfaced during the AIADMK regime."
Driven by the fear of defeat, Palaniswami spoke in a reckless manner and made below-par statements, Stalin said, addressing a public meeting in Villupuram on April 8.
Continuing his tirade on Palaniswami, the CM said, "I am not someone who worries or is afraid of death. In 1976, even before you (AIADMK chief) joined politics, I was arrested under the Maintenance of Internal Security Act when I was just 23 years old, and I was subjected to unspeakable torture in jail."
The DMK chief said he was in prison for a year with courage, and his father and leader "Kalaignar" (late DMK Chief Minister) "sent me to prison saying that I have to face all these in public life. When I did not fear the torture of prison, do you think I will fear coronavirus?"
At the campaign, the AIADMK general secretary said the airborne virus spread rapidly and, despite the personal threat, he had visited 32 districts and held consultative meetings with collectors, traders, and other sections to make life easy for everyone.
"… I am concerned about the people. I did not seek publicity through photoshoot sessions. That's why people describe the AIADMK governance as a golden rule," the former Chief Minister said.