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Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami today hit out at DMK leader M K Stalin for mocking him for his remark that he would work unitedly with his deputy O Panneerselvam, saying it showed the opposition leader's frustration.
Amid murmurs of discontent between his followers and that of Panneerselvam, the Chief Minister said,"we (AIADMK party ranks) need to be cautious."
"Stressing that we will work together,I had said that the Deputy Chief Minister and I will function as double barrel rifle... I do not know why they (DMK) are getting angry," he said addressing a meet to commemmorate the centenary of former Chief Minister and AIADMK founder M G Ramachandran.
Palaniswami had made the double-barrel rifle remark in a recent event.
Stating that Stalin had referred to his double rifle usage, he said "we should see the extent of (Stalin's) frustration. We are expressing our opinion.. why should he get angry?"
Palaniswami said DMK had 'day dreamt' that the AIADMK regime would end after the demise of Amma and that the party would fall.
"That dream did not come true. Ddue to this, they (DMK) are uttering some lies everyday."
The Chief Minister recalling his unity remark assumes significance since AIADMK senior leader and Rajya Sabha MP V Maithreyan had yesterday indicated possible discontent between followers of Palaniswami and Panneerselvam.
"It has been three months now since the merger of EPS-OPS faction. Months are passing by, what about hearts?," he said.
Today, the Rajya Sabha MP stood by his remark, saying he only reflected the feelings of a majority of grassroots level workers.
However, another senior leader and Panneerselvam loyalist C Ponnaiyan declined to endorse Maithreyan's comment.
Stalin, referring to Palaniswami's remark that he and Panneerselvam would work like a "double barrel rifle", alleged corruption in the AIADMK regime and asked "are they a double barrel rifle?"
The DMK leader, while addressing a meet at Pavurchatiram near Tirunelveli on November 20 had said the phrase of double barrel rifle was used by his party founder C N Annadurai.
He recalled that when Annadurai founded the party after splitting from Dravidar Kazhagam, he had said DMK and DK would function as a double barrel rifle, notwithstanding the split.
He said they were talking in a manner trivialising what Anna (Annadurai) had said. "Are they a double barrel rifle?" he asked and sought to know how it could be do in the light of alleged corruption.
Later, a party statement jointly signed by AIADMK coordinator Panneerselvam and co-coordinator Palaniswami said a procession would be taken out to the mausoleum of late J Jayalalithaa here on her first death anniversary on December five and urged party workers and public to join it.
"Let us take a pledge on that day that we will guard the party and the government by following her footsteps," they said, paying tributes to the late leader.
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