AIADMK General Secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami campaigning in Tirupattur district on Friday. | Photo credit: C. VENKATACHALAPATHY
AIADMK General Secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami on Friday accused Chief Minister MK Stalin and his family members of acting as power centers in running the state since the DMK came to power in 2021.
Addressing the public during the Makkalai Kaappom, Thamizhagathai Meetpom campaign to introduce the AIADMK alliance candidates for assembly segments in Tirupattur, Vellore and Ranipet districts, Mr. Palaniswami said the state is run by the Chief Minister’s family. He said Stalin’s wife Durga Stalin, son and deputy chief minister Udhayanidhi Stalin and son-in-law V Sabareesan acted as the four power centers of the DMK, controlling various government departments and agencies. “Mr. Stalin remains a mere puppet of these power centres. The rights and dignity of the people of Tamil Nadu can be reclaimed only if the AIADMK is voted back to power,” he said.
The AIADMK leader slammed Mr. Stalin for criticizing the AIADMK’s failure to win elections under his leadership since 2017. “Mr. Stalin should stop speaking in an arrogant manner. Otherwise, the AIADMK party cadre will react accordingly. He should remember the past when the DMK was unable to secure even the position of the main opposition party in a poll, D011 in poll 2. ‘vanavasam’ (political exile) to in 2021,” he said.
Taking credit for the implementation of Kalaignar Magalir Urimai Thittam by the DMK government, Mr. Palaniswami said it was implemented due to constant pressure from the AIADMK. The DMK government under Stalin bowed to pressure from the AIADMK, the main opposition party in the State Assembly, and implemented the scheme 28 months after the DMK came to power in May 2021. “An additional 25 million beneficiaries were recently enrolled in the scheme due to the Assembly elections. Had these beneficiaries been added when the scheme was introduced, they would not have lost the 5 per month grant,” he said.
He also complained about the dependence of Secular Progressive Alliance (SPA) partners, especially CPI, CPI(M) and VCK, on DMK. Though they have been in the alliance for more than a decade, they had to contend with less number of seats than allotted in the 2021 polls due to the new entrant – DMDK, he said.
“According to records, Vijayakant-led DMDK managed to get only 0.5% of the total votes in the 2021 polls, while the Communist parties polled around 2.5% of the total votes in the same election. Despite the vote percentage, the alliance partners were forced to reduce the number of Assembly seats they demanded for the polls,” he said, saying the alliance partners in the polls would consider the DMK be ashamed
The AIADMK chief claimed that the party has always protected the rights of minorities in the state. “As far as the AIADMK is concerned, the alliance is different from the party’s principles. Despite our alliance for the polls, the AIADMK’s principles of protecting minorities in Tamil Nadu will never change,” he said.
Published – 4 Apr 2026 0:40 AM IST
