TN CM EPS flays MK Stalin for alleging AIADMK does what DMK says; 'Those in power will...'

Tamil Nadu CM Edappadi Palaniswami flayed DMK chief MK Stalin over his claim that the AIADMK government was implementing ideas only after they were suggested by the Leader of Opposition. Slamming Stalin for spreading false propaganda on the AIADMK government, CM EPS noted that it was easy for those not in power (Stalin) to make claims while the government in place has the responsibility of thinking the plan through before implementing it. Further, AIADMK's CM candidate claimed that while the government was making the required calculations on the schemes, Stalin was spreading wrong information intentionally.  

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Earlier, DMK supremo MK Stalin invoked a famous dialogue from a Rajinikanth movie to explain Tamil Nadu CM Edappadi Palaniswami's style of functioning and claimed that the AIADMK leader did whatever Stalin asked. Quipping Rajinikanth's famous dialogue from the movie Arunachalam 'Aandavan Solran, Arunachalam Seiyaran', the DMK supremo targeted EPS for implementing decisions after it was raised by Stalin first. Addressing a gathering, Stalin tells the people that he was the first one in the Assembly to warn about the spread of COVID-19 in the state and claimed that EPS implemented Stalin's request for relief after initially refusing to do so.

"The first person to inform the Assembly about the spread of COVID-19 in the state was Stalin. At first, he opposed, then he announced reforms. I asked him (EPS) to provide relief to those whose livelihood was affected by COVI-19. He said no relief will be provided then. Now as the election nears, using the name of the festival Pongal the government has given Rs 2500", Stalin said. 

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Further, Stalin pointed out that the government stopped the issue of e-pass only after he asked them to do so. The DMK chief went on to point out that he had asked for the government to waive off farmers' loans on January 13 during the Bhogi celebrations in Ponneri and that the ruling AIADMK government did so recently as the elections neared. Stalin also noted that he was the first to ask for a ban on online gambling in the state and remarked that EPS had done so now. 

"We (DMK) had said that we would solve the problems of the people within 100 days of coming to power. Now, CM EPS has announced that he will resolve the issues of the people via telephone', Stalin added. 

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Tamil Nadu Assembly Elections 2021

The two warring factions in AIADMK - of Deputy CM O Pannerselvam (OPS) and CM E Palaniswamy (EPS), reconciled after the party named incumbent E Palaniswamy as its CM candidate and O Panneerselvam as the chief of the 11-member steering committee. With AIADMK announcing it will continue its national alliance with BJP, the saffron party is yet to officially announce its state-level alliance. Meanwhile, ex-CM Karunanidhi's successor - DMK chief MK Stalin eyes his maiden CM term as DMK cannot afford to lose a third straight Assembly election after sweeping the state in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls with 38 seats. Kamal Haasan's MNM has initiated alliance talks with Arvind Kejriwal's AAP while AIMIM's Owaisi has also expressed interest to fight polls in the southern state. Erstwhile AIADMK ally Samathuva Makkal Katchi, headed by actor R Sarathkumar, joined hands with joins hands with SRM Group Paarivendhar's Indhiya Jananayaga Katchi to fight the upcoming polls.

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