TN CM slams DMK, says it banks on false promises for survival

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami on Sunday accused the DMK of banking on false promises for its survival and remembering about people's problems only at the time of elections.

Addressing a campaign meeting at nearby Reddiarpatti village in Nanguneri Assembly constituency which goes to byelection on October 21, he also attacked DMK's ally Congress and said its leaders let down people for their "selfish ends".

Palainiswami, who is the ruling AIADMK's joint coordinator, alleged the DMK always banked on false promises for its political survival.

In the last parliamentary elections, DMK president M K Stalin falsely assured the people that all jewellery loans will be written off once their party won the mandate. But it was not fulfilled as their alliance lost to BJP at the Centre.

"Now in the by-election campaign also, Stalin is cheating the voters by holding 'thinnai' (porch) meetings in every village and receiving petitions. Only when polls come, Stalin remembers 'thinnai" he said.

Stalin should handover the petitions to the government for redressal, but he would not do so and instead "dump them in garbage bin", the chief minister alleged.

Targeting the Congress, he said the bypoll was thrust on the people by its "power hungry" H N Vasanthkumar, elected from the segment in 2016 but resigned after becoming a Lok Sabha member from Kanyakumari.

"Vasanthakumar wanted to become an MP because he is power hungry. Congressmen never bother about people. For their selfish ends, they let down the people who elected them," he charged.

Listing out the welfare measures implemented by the AIADMK government, he asked the people to vote for the party nominee V Narayanan in the byelection.