MADURAI: The AIADMK and its allies in Tamil Nadu do not have a prime ministerial face for the 2024 elections, yet, the victory of the alliance in 40 Lok Sabha constituencies in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry is crucial for the welfare of minorities, said AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami on Sunday.
Addressing a gathering at the state conference of the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) in Madurai, Palaniswami, speaking on the theme ‘Vellatum Mathasarbinmai’, said that if the AIADMK and its allies win, they will be the voices of minorities and will speak for them at the state and the national level.
Pointing to other states, Palaniswami said “Naveen Patnaik in Odisha, YS Jagan Mohan Reddy in Andhra Pradesh and the Communist Party in Kerala won elections previously without a PM face. Not only in the 2024 General Elections but even in the 2026 Assembly Polls, the AIADMK will not ally with the BJP.”
“We were in alliance with the BJP earlier only for the welfare of the people. However, the DMK has allied with the INDIA bloc to save their family and its wealth,” he stated. “When AIADMK was in power in Tamil Nadu under my leadership, the Citizenship Amendment Act, 2019, came up. My government did not come down on protesters and allowed people to protest.
On the contrary, the DMK made election promises, including the release of Muslim prisoners but have not kept their promises,” Palaniswami said. AIADML has always given space for its allies to grow, while the DMK always creates setbacks for its allies. DMK’s allies have now become their slaves and are unable to raise their voices, Palaniswami said, adding, “Neither I nor my party is a slave to anyone. We don’t make anybody our slave. The SDPI, a Muslim front, organised a conference where Hindu and Christian leaders have taken part. This is a symbol of true secularism.”
Referring to the TN Global Investors Meet 2024, Palaniswami said the summit is an eyewash before the elections. “DMK never spoke about the investments they attracted in the previous summits or regarding the jobs generated.”
Without taking names, in what can be inferred as a veiled reference to minister Palanivel Thiaga Rajan, he said “The DMK has been looting people since it came to power, which was highlighted by a DMK minister.” SDPI state president Nellai Mubarak, AIADMK former ministers Sellur K Raju and RB Udhayakumar, Madurai district functionary Rajan Chellappa and others took part in the event.
