Edappadi K Palaniswami.
Credit: PTI Photo
Salem: AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami on Wednesday hit back at Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin saying it is he who is 'daydreaming' and creating a false impression of growth in influence for the ruling DMK.
A day after Stalin wondered if Leader of the Opposition was in a dream land so as to forget the realities, Palaniswami in a party event here said that the chief minister has been repeatedly uttering a 'lie' that nothing happened during the 10-year rule of the AIADMK (2011-21) and that people were not benefited.
When lies were used in an appropriate manner, even truth will face a difficult situation, he said quoting a proverb. On October 22, the cm said in Namakkal that similar to the election results seen during the last five years, the AIADMK will again face a crushing defeat at the hands of the DMK in the assembly election due in 2026 and it will be decimated.
Palaniswami said Stalin and his regime has been deliberately creating a 'false impression' that influence has been on the rise for the DMK. Recalling initiatives like the combined drinking water scheme, he said Stalin himself may taste the water and learn about the AIADMK regime's achievements.
The AIADMK top leader said: "I am not dreaming, it is Stalin who is daydreaming which never comes true." Furthermore, stating that the cm has claimed in the Namakkal function that the AIADMK has witnessed setback, while the DMK has grown in its influence, Palaniswami quoted election results, seeking to refute it.
In 2019 LS polls, the AIADMK candidate lost in Namakkal constituency by a margin of three lakh votes. However, in 2024 LS polls, the margin between his party and the winner, the DMK, has reduced to 30,000 votes. "Understand who has seen the decline. It is setback for DMK and influence for AIADMK," Palaniswami said.
Similarly, he cited the 2021 Assembly election and 2019 LS results in the same Namakkal region to substantiate his claim of his party's 'growth.' Also, the AIADMK faced polls with fewer allies (including the DMDK) unlike the DMK.
He blamed the DMK regime for not taking forward schemes initiatied during his party-led regime. He said his party is continuing with its work for the people as service to the people is permanent notwithstanding whether his party is in or out of power.