Tirunelveli: “During the DMK regime, uninterrupted electricity was being supplied in Tamil Nadu. The present government is trying to create an artificial power shortage and privatize the Electricity Board,” former Speaker of the Legislative Assembly M. Appavu alleged.
He said to reporters in Tirunelveli: “There is a difference between an ordinary arrest and an arrest made under the MISA Act. In ordinary cases, the police register a case, produce the person in court, and send them to jail. But under the MISA Act, a person can be sent directly to jail without any case being filed. Even this basic legal knowledge is not there with the current Chief Minister or the Law Minister. The way they handled this issue in the Assembly was shameful.
During the previous DMK regime, uninterrupted electricity was provided in Tamil Nadu. The current government is creating an artificial power shortage in Tamil Nadu. Using this as a pretext, there is an attempt to create an artificial shortage and privatize the Electricity Board to the Adani Group. Behind this, plans have been made to increase electricity tariffs by 25 to 50 percent, and irregularities worth several thousand crore rupees have taken place.
In Salem, drinking water distribution has already been privatized. The work of sanitation workers has also been handed over to private hands through outsourcing. The government side is refusing to meet and speak with the sanitation workers who are protesting over this issue.
The Chief Minister’s London trip did not follow the proper guidelines for attracting investments. Generally, when going to attract investments, the relevant departmental officials and ministers should go ahead of time and coordinate the meetings. However, that did not happen this time.
Moreover, Tamil Nadu’s current economic growth and the progress made in the industrial sector are the foundation laid during the DMK regime.
The Leader of the Opposition is being denied a proper opportunity to speak in the Legislative Assembly. The Speaker is acting without neutrality and is functioning according to the instructions of the ruling party members. Whenever the Leader of the Opposition tries to speak, the Speaker, after looking at the slips passed from the ruling party side, prevents the opposition from speaking.
The Legislative Assembly proceedings are being live-streamed solely for the ruling party to post reels. During the previous DMK government, then Chief Minister Stalin did not interfere in my administration when I was the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly. But today it is not like that. The Speaker is under the control of the Chief Minister.
The plan to construct a new legislative assembly complex in Pattinapakkam at a cost of Rs. 1,200 crore is unnecessary. Most political parties have opposed it.
During the previous DMK regime, they called it corruption, saying an extra Rs. 10 was collected per bottle. Now it has been increased from Rs. 20 to Rs. 30, and several crores of rupees are being collected every day. Corruption and bribery have become extremely rampant under the TVK regime. All works are being handed over to private parties,” he said.