Chennai: AIADMK interim general secretary and former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, Edappadi K. Palaniswami (EPS) has called for a three-phase agitation across Tamil Nadu calling upon the government to withdraw increase in property taxes, electricity tariffs, and milk prices.
Speaking during an agitation at Coimbatore on Thursday, he accused the government of ignoring Coimbatore in development work, terming it as a ‘vindictive measure’ for having voted against the DMK.
The former Chief Minister said that similar protests would be organised across the state on December 9 in town panchayaths, municipal corporations on December 13 and headquarters of panchayath unions on December 14.
EPS came out strongly against the DMK and Chief Minister M.K. Stalin and addressed him as a ‘doll’. The AIADMK leader and present opposition leader said that the Chief Minister had ridiculed him for meeting and petitioning the Governor but pointed out that Stalin as opposition leader had petitioned the Governor 10 times.
He also challenged Stalin for an open debate on the development works carried out during the previous AIADMK government’s decade of rule (2011- 2021) and that of the past 18 months of governance of Stalin.
He also questioned Stalin’s statement that the AIADMK government’s 10-year rule had pushed the state backward and added that the state had received awards for the performance in agriculture, highways, water management, and electricity. He added that the AIADMK government won the highest number of awards from the Central government.
Palaniswami said that the DMK government has eight ministers who were earlier with the AIADMK and termed them as migratory birds.
The AIADMK leader called upon the government and Chief Minister, in particular, to bring down prices of commodities. He said that iron prices have gone up from Rs 38,000 per tonne to Rs 79,000 per tonne and added that cement prices are up by Rs 140 per sack and milk prices by Rs 12.
The former Chief Minister warned the DMK government against the acquisition of agricultural land of 3732 acres in Annur for industrial estates and urged the government to shift industrial estates to drought-prone areas.
He also said that the expansion projects of Coimbatore were undertaken during the regime of the AIADMK government and said that the western bypass road, flyover, and the expansion of the Coimbatore airport were done during the previous regime.
The AIADMK leader also called upon the DMK government not to shift the Vellalore Integrated Bus Stand and warned that if it shifts the bus stand it would have to face a massive agitation by people.
–IANS
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