Erode (Tamil Nadu), February 15 AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami launched a scathing attack on Chief Minister M K Stalin on Sunday, calling him a "puppet leader" who heads a government based on advertisements and lies rather than performance.
"In the history of Tamil Nadu, if there is one chief minister in India who lacks administrative ability, lacks basic knowledge, speaks only loud lies, and runs a government relying solely on advertisements, it is this puppet chief minister Stalin," the Leader of the Opposition said, targeting the DMK president.
"Every day he announces a new name for a scheme and gives a photo shoot; that's where it ends," said Palaniswami, addressing a massive public gathering at the Bhavani Sagar constituency.
He also refuted the allegations of DMK that his party is a "slave" to BJP.
"Today, Stalin is spreading a false and defamatory campaign that the AIADMK is a slave to the BJP and acts as its branch organisation. Are we like that? AIADMK is a party that stands on its own feet, a party of hard workers and a battalion of youth... as far as AIADMK is concerned, it is a slave to no one and is an independently functioning party,"
The former Chief Minister claimed that law and order in Tamil Nadu has completely collapsed under the current regime. He claimed that the state has become a hub for drug sales, and news reports are now dominated by crime and drug movements instead of economic indicators.
Highlighting safety concerns for women, Palaniswami alleged that 699 young girls have fallen victim to sexual violence since 2021, questioning why the chief minister remained indifferent to their plight.
Focusing on the agrarian sector, the AIADMK leader noted that while his previous government ensured 24-hour three-phase electricity for farmers, the DMK has introduced a shift system that hampers agricultural work.
He further alleged massive corruption in the state-run TASMAC liquor shops, claiming that an illegal collection of Rs 10 per bottle leads to a daily loot of Rs 15 crore, totaling approximately Rs 23,000 crore over the last four and a half years.
Palaniswami also criticised the DMK's alleged failure to fulfill employment promises, stating that only one lakh out of the promised 5.5 lakh jobs have been filled, mostly through retiree replacements. He pointed out that higher education enrollment had dropped from 52 per cent during the AIADMK's tenure to 48 per cent due to poor administration.
Reiterating the series of poll promises launched by AIADMK, Palaniswami said the party, upon returning to power, would provide Rs 2,000 monthly financial support to female heads of households and three free gas cylinders per year.
Other promises included the cancellation of all student education loans, free city bus travel for men, and the construction of concrete houses for poor and tribal communities.
He also pledged to increase the 100-day work scheme to 150 days and provide Rs 10 lakh compensation for families of Jallikattu (bull-taming) players who lose their lives.