AIADMK General Secretary Edappadi Palaniswami has alleged that artificial power shortages were created and electricity was purchased at higher prices.
Speaking to reporters in Salem’s Omalur today, Edappadi Palaniswami said, ``In the past, it was said that corruption took place because higher prices were fixed in short-term power purchase agreements, and the contracts of that time were canceled and white papers were also released. However, the present government is purchasing power by paying up to Rs. 35 per unit, surpassing even the previous regime’s prices and at a level unmatched by any state in India.
At a time when the electricity board is already struggling under a debt of around Rs. 2.48 lakh crore, such high-priced procurement will place an additional financial burden of several thousand crore rupees on the board. If the previous procurement agreements had been properly regularized and continued, this emergency situation and the huge financial loss could have been avoided.
For the past four months, by deliberately delaying the purchase of electricity and causing severe power cuts in the state, and after artificially creating an emergency situation among the people where they would accept any electricity as long as they got it, this high-priced procurement tender has been issued under the pretext of providing uninterrupted power supply.
Entering into a contract at a price higher than any other state in India has done is a huge mega scam. Prices of essential goods in the state have soared to the sky, severely affecting the poor and middle-class people. The government has taken no action to control inflation.
Even though TVK won in the by-elections, it was not a democratic victory. In Dharapuram, it secured only 20,000 more votes than last time, and in Madurantakam, only 10,000 more votes, which shows that TVK does not have significant influence among the people.
Because it does not have proper branches or basic organizational structures within its own party, TVK, which relies only on cinematic appeal, is engaging in “horse-trading” to lure away AIADMK branch secretaries and union secretaries who have worked for 20–30 years.
No one can shake or sway the AIADMK cadres created by M.G.R. and protected by Jayalalithaa. Spending as much as was spent to build the Mettur Dam during the British era—up to Rs. 4.5 crore—the act of flying to Salem in a special aircraft and inaugurating the Mettur Dam was the height of publicity politics.
The government has made no effort to obtain the pending 12 TMC of water due from Karnataka, as per the Supreme Court verdict. Even when the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister met the Prime Minister of India, who recently visited Chennai, he remained silent without uttering a single word about securing Cauvery water rights, which shows this government's incompetence.
"The road expansion tenders already issued by the Public Works and Highways Department have been canceled, and the works have been left half-finished. At present, with tar, diesel, gravel, M-sand, and labor costs having risen by up to 40%, issuing fresh tenders again will cause a huge financial loss to the government. From electricity procurement to road tenders, this government, which functions without any development by creating confusion in everything, is seen by the people as a dummy government," he said.
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