Tamil Nadu Elections: EPS Takes Hard Jabs At DMK, Says Not Even 25% of The Promises Delivered

Chennai: AIADMK General Secretary and Leader of the Opposition Edappadi K. Palaniswami launched a sharp attack on the ruling DMK government, alleging that Chief Minister M.K. Stalin has failed to deliver on the majority of promises made ahead of the 2021 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections.

In a statement released in Chennai, Palaniswami claimed that the DMK had made over 525 promises during the last Assembly polls, but had implemented “not even one-fourth” of them over the past five years. He accused the government of focusing more on publicity than governance, alleging that announcements were routinely made without proper implementation.

“Five years of DMK rule have resulted in publicity without performance and announcements without accountability,” the AIADMK leader said, adding that the people of Tamil Nadu were “misled with gimmicks instead of governance.”

Referring to AIADMK’s protest inside the Assembly earlier, Palaniswami said the party had symbolically displayed what it called the “DMK’s Empty Box” to highlight what it described as the hollowness of the ruling party’s claims.

He also rejected the DMK government’s repeated assertions that delays in infrastructure projects were due to the Centre withholding funds. Citing the Coimbatore and Madurai Metro Rail projects, Palaniswami alleged that the state government had failed to submit mandatory project reports and was now attempting to deflect blame.

“Instead of accepting administrative lapses, the Chief Minister is misleading the public by blaming the Union government,” he said.

Accusing the DMK of resorting to diversionary tactics when questioned on performance, Palaniswami alleged that the government prioritised self-promotion over governance. He further claimed that the Chief Minister’s references to “DMK 2.0” reflected political insecurity.

Challenging Stalin to seek votes based on governance, Palaniswami said the AIADMK was prepared to face the electorate with what it called a proven record. “If votes are sought on performance, what awaits the DMK is not version 2.0, but zero,” he remarked.