PWD minister tried to join AIADMK before TVK: Edappadi K. Palaniswami

AIADMK General Secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami at a public meeting in Salem on Saturday. | Photo credit: E. LAKSHMI NARAYANAN

AIADMK General Secretary and former Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami on Saturday said Public Works Department (PWD) Minister Aadhav Arjuna had tried to join the AIADMK before the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam.

Mr. Palaniswami, who attended a public meeting in Salem on the birth anniversary of former Chief Minister CN Annadurai, responded to Mr. Arjuna’s claim that TVK would win in Edappadi constituency if it contested its symbol. Mr. Palaniswami said, “I won with the highest margin of victory in Tamil Nadu and the AIADMK won seven of the 11 seats in Salem district. The PWD minister was in the DMK and later in the VCK. He then approached me to join the AIADMK and seek the post of deputy general secretary. But we rejected the request because only people working for the party would get a seat.” After that, Mr. Arjuna joined TVK and took “parties on rent”, he claimed.

After the Karur tragedy in which 41 people died, the TVK party office was closed for 15 days and Mr. Arjuna fled to another state, he alleged.

Elaborating on the achievements of the AIADMK government in the past, Mr. Palaniswami said that the TVK came to power by accident and only changed the names of the programs implemented by the AIADMK. The price of rice increased by ₹ 15 to ₹ 20 per kg during the four months of the TVK-led government and it did not take any steps to bring down the price of the essential commodity. “The DMK regime has already increased Tamil Nadu’s debt to ₹10 crore, but the TVK-led government wants a new secretariat. What is the need to build a new secretariat at ₹1,200 crore when the government is struggling with huge debts? And the site chosen for the project is an area where fishermen live.”

Claiming that ₹4.50 crore was spent on installing barricades during Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay’s visit to Mettur Dam, Mr. Palaniswami said that Mettur Dam was constructed at a cost of ₹4.50 crore. But the same amount was spent on opening the dam to release the water.

Investment White Paper

Regarding Mr. Vijay’s recent visit to London, Mr. Palaniswami said that companies already operating in Tamil Nadu and in India had signed MoUs in London. The TVK-led government should release a white paper on how much investment it has attracted.

“In Tamil Nadu, 14,000 people are suffering from dengue, but the government has not taken any steps to control the disease. There are power cuts at various places and now the TVK-led government has decided to buy electricity at ₹ 30 per unit, allegedly with a commission of ₹ 4. Earlier it was bought at ₹ 25 and ₹ 18 per unit, a law for four months. The law and order situation in Tamil Nadu is bad,” accused Mr. Palaniswami.

In the by-elections in the two assembly constituencies, the AIADMK will win and teach a lesson to the ruling party, he added.

Published – 19 Sep 2026 23:46 IST