In view of the Dharapuram and Madurantakam by-elections, all three parties — DMK, TVK, and AIADMK — are carrying out campaigning.
Meanwhile, during the campaign, Edappadi Palaniswami made harsh criticisms about TVK and Chief Minister Vijay.
In response, Minister Aadhav Arjuna met the press and spoke.
At that time, he said, ``Whenever elections come around, the DMK turns slander and, in particular, personal attacks centered on women into its campaign. This style, which began in MGR’s time, has continued through Jayalalithaa and up to the current TVK leader Vijay.
AIADMK General Secretary Edappadi Palaniswami has also adopted this same style of personal criticism used by the DMK. The AIADMK, which won independently in 2016 with 41% of the vote, has now weakened into a party with only 10% of the vote.
Even former key functionaries who were loyal and faithful to Jayalalithaa have now distanced themselves from Edappadi Palaniswami. Today, within the AIADMK, only Edappadi Palaniswami and his son Mithun hold power.
AIADMK won only 15 constituencies in the Kongu region. In particular, in 7 constituencies, it could not have won without the PMK. In the Edappadi constituency, TVK candidate Arunkumar, who was contesting, was abducted, kept hidden, and on August 15 was made to join the AIADMK in the presence of Edappadi Palaniswami.
Isn’t this, where a candidate was bought over using money power and the election was conducted, nothing but horse-trading politics?
AIADMK is not being led by Edappadi Palaniswami; it is his son Mithun who is controlling it from behind the scenes. Because of this administrative mismanagement, AIADMK has become completely weakened and has suffered defeat in the southern districts and the Delta region as well.
At present, just as M.K. Stalin is functioning as the DMK leader and Edappadi Palaniswami as its inactive general secretary, both parties are working together against the TVK.
On the ground, in places like Madurantakam and Dharapuram, the DMK and AIADMK are operating by helping each other and asking for votes for one another.
Edappadi Palaniswami is working in collusion with Udhayanidhi Stalin, mortgaging the AIADMK, solely to seize the several thousand crore rupees worth of assets and fixed deposits (FD) in the AIADMK trust established by M.G.R. and Jayalalithaa, and hand them over to his son Mithun.
In the party’s administration, as well as in candidate selection and campaign planning, only Edappadi Palaniswami’s son Mithun exercises complete dominance.
The DMK that the late leader Vijayakanth fought against so fiercely throughout his political life and overthrew, the DMDK has now formed an alliance with that very DMK.
This selfish political decision is something that even Vijayakanth’s soul cannot forgive. Therefore, TVK will take to the people the true political path that Vijayakanth once put forward against the DMK,” he said.