When Edappadi Palaniswami said that if new parties come with us, we will join with them, journalists asked whether he would join if the DMK came. Smiling, EPS replied, “Will the DMK come?”
Speaking to reporters at the Secretariat in Chennai, AIADMK General Secretary Edappadi Palaniswami said that a new government has been formed and the budget has been presented. At present, discussions on the demands for grants are taking place every day. However, since the Assembly session began, some issue or other has been arising in the House every day.
Problems also arise during the budget debate. Since issues also arise in the Legislative Assembly during the discussion of grant demands, there is no opportunity to fully discuss the people’s problems.
Once the Legislative Assembly begins, question hour takes place. During question hour, the DMK and other opposition parties speak. At that time, ministers or Assembly members from the ruling party raise some issue or allegation against the opposition. The opposition responds to it. As they keep speaking back and forth like this, many hours are wasted.
They proudly say that the legislative assembly runs for 10 hours a day. But only three hours of that are spent discussing people’s problems. The remaining time is wasted with the ruling party and the opposition taking turns to speak.
Even when the opposition voices its views, they do not get proper responses from the ministers. Only a few ministers answer in a department-wise manner. For many questions, usually only three ministers respond. The other ministers do not answer at all.
Only if the ministers of the respective departments answer questions related to their departments will a solution be found. However, there is no situation in which the ministers concerned answer the questions asked by the members of the Legislative Assembly.
I expected to get answers to the questions I asked. But even those were not answered. In the Chief Minister’s reply, he speaks only superficially.
The main opposition parties, opposition parties like ours, and members of the Legislative Assembly put forward various demands in the police department’s grant request. But none of those demands received an appropriate response.
In particular, online scams have taken place on a large scale. Such scams have occurred more frequently in the Madurai and Sivaganga districts. It is said that people’s money amounting to around Rs. 1,000 crore has been defrauded. I mentioned this during the police department’s grant demand discussion. However, no response was received regarding this.
Those who were cheated in these scams are mostly poor and ordinary people. We also demanded that police officers who have been in service for a long time be given promotions. There was no reply on that either. We also asked about salary increases for police personnel. Even to this, no answer was given.
During periods like Deepavali and Thai, poor and ordinary people save the money they earn through daily labor. Some companies in those areas conduct chit schemes in an attractive manner and defraud the public of their money. I also spoke about this in the police grant demand. But there was no response to that either.
By repeatedly talking about something that happened long ago, precious Assembly time is being wasted. We are not saying that you should not speak. But it would be better if you first answered our questions and then spoke. There was no answer to any of the questions we asked.
Under the TVK government, incidents such as murder, robbery, theft, and sexual harassment have increased.
The Chief Minister did not present the police department’s grant demand. Another minister presented it instead. At present, the police department and the municipal administration department are among the important departments. Municipal administration is an institution that can fulfill the basic needs of the people. Even that has not been properly implemented by this government.
The Chief Minister should fully oversee his department.
Under the TVK government, prices have risen to sky-high levels. The paddy produced by farmers has not been properly procured at direct procurement centers. As a result, the recent rains have caused massive damage.
In the three districts of Thanjavur, Tiruvarur, and Mayiladuthurai, the paddy produced by farmers had been piled up in the open, so it got soaked in the rain, sprouted, and suffered severe damage. This government cannot be seen as one that protects farmers. This government has not even procured the grains of hardworking people.
This government has reached a stage where it can implement projects only by borrowing. If it keeps borrowing every year, this administration will not last five years. Even though there is already a large amount of debt, they have announced various new schemes. They should increase revenue and implement the schemes from that.
More than three lakh people have filed complaints regarding the increase in electricity charges.
Water has been released from the Mettur dam. They have said that water will be released for only 45 days. But for the samba crop, at least 120 days of water are needed to achieve a full yield. Releasing water for only 40 or 45 days is not enough. Water necessary for complete irrigation must be provided.
This is nothing but a staged drama carried out to make the MLAs resign through horse-trading and retain power in the two constituencies where the AIADMK had already won. AIADMK candidates will be fielded in those two assembly constituencies; they will win. Those are constituencies we had already won.
People are watching the proceedings of the Assembly, from the budget statement to the ongoing demands for grants. The House’s time is being wasted because the ruling party and the opposition keep speaking alternately on one issue or another.
Only a few hours are available to discuss people’s problems. Therefore, precious House time should not be wasted. The ruling party does not have enough strength.
If new parties come with us, we will include them. When reporters asked whether he would include the DMK if it came, he replied with a smile, “Will the DMK come?”
The government should focus on which project should be given priority, where people are being affected, and how to find a solution. But this government has been nothing but a reels campaign, he said.