The opposition AIADMK on Wednesday petitioned the Tamil Nadu Governor R N Ravi seeking action on the ruling DMK for its alleged irregularities in the recently held civic body elections in nine districts of the State.
AIADMK co-coordinator and former chief minister K Palaniswami, who led a delegation to petition the Governor at the Raj Bhavan here, said legal action would be initiated on former chief minister late J Jayalalithaa’s confidante V K Sasikala for claiming to be AIADMK’s general secretary. Speaking to reporters after submitting the petition, Palaniswami, who is the Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly, accused the ruling DMK of indulging in irregularities during the conduct of the local body elections, and said his party’s plea for a free and fair poll went unheeded.
“We gave a detailed representation to the Governor explaining how the DMK had murdered democracy and reduced the Tamil Nadu State Election Commission (SEC) to the stature of a puppet in the party’s hands. We demanded action on the party,” Palaniswami said. He alleged his party candidates who won by a whisker were announced as losers while their contenders, the DMK candidates, were declared elected. “The AIADMK, initially, approached the SEC requesting for a free and fair poll but was constrained to knock at the door of the court when the plea went unheeded,” the former Chief Minister said and added that during his tenure his government conducted the polls in a democratic manner.
He slammed the media for maintaining what he said was silence over an incident of an MLA entering a counting centre and allegedly walking away with a ballot box. “Why was no action taken on the poll official?,” he asked. Referring to an alleged incident of a Minister’s assistant slapping a traffic police constable in the southern Thoothukudi district, Palaniswami said the policeman was made to withdraw his complaint. “This is the situation in Tamil Nadu. Police lack security. If this is the plight of the police, then imagine what will the condition of the common man be,” he wondered.
{{/usCountry}}He slammed the media for maintaining what he said was silence over an incident of an MLA entering a counting centre and allegedly walking away with a ballot box. “Why was no action taken on the poll official?,” he asked. Referring to an alleged incident of a Minister’s assistant slapping a traffic police constable in the southern Thoothukudi district, Palaniswami said the policeman was made to withdraw his complaint. “This is the situation in Tamil Nadu. Police lack security. If this is the plight of the police, then imagine what will the condition of the common man be,” he wondered.
{{/usCountry}}On the series of DVAC raids on former AIADMK ministers, he replied, “It’s political vendetta. We have nothing to hide, and, therefore, nothing to fear,” Palaniswami said and claimed the DMK won the local body polls by bribing the voters.
Asked about Sasikala contending to be AIADMK’s general secretary, the former Chief Minister shot back: “You (media) are giving undue importance (to her). She has no connection with the AIADMK since she was expelled in 2017. Legal action will be taken against Sasikala for claiming to be the general secretary of the party.” The party had paved the way for dual leadership (under him and coordinator O Panneerselvam) democratically, and this set-up would continue, he said and ruled out any scope for rapprochement with her.