TN CM accuses Stalin of being 'power hungry,' challenges DMK over graft allegations

AIADMK top leader and ChiefMinister K Palaniswami on Wednesday challenged DMK president MK Stalin again to have a debate with him on his allegations ofcorruption against the government and accused him of beingpower hungry.

In his campaign at nearby Sriperumbudur for the Assemblypolls, likely in April, Palaniswami said the leader of theopposition was not ready to accept his challenge.

''You (Stalin) should come without a paper slip to debate.

You must not read out from a note prepared by someone else.

List out your claims of corruption and I will answer,''he said.

The AIADMK has often mocked Stalin for 'depending' onpaper slips to address people.

Dismissing as 'lies', the charges of corruption levelledby Stalin in a petition to Governor Banwarilal Purohit, theChief Minister said he was ready to face the DMK leader anddebate at any place to refute his allegations.

The Chief Minister said though he had already (earlierthis month) asked Stalin to turn up for an open debate, theDMK chief was not coming forward to accept his challenge.

''A tender for a road work in Tirunelveli was cancelledabout a year and a half ago. Even without knowing that, Stalinhas made a false claim of Rs 700 crore corruption,'' he said.

In December, DMK had submitted a petition to Purohit,seeking action under the Prevention of Corruption Act andPalaniswami had then too said these were lies and defamatoryin nature.

Palaniswami said he considered ''people as the ChiefMinister,'' and the job of a Chief Minister is to execute theorders of the people.

The DMK chief was however 'power-hungry' and irritatedin his bid to become the Chief Minister and does not 'know'anything about the country, he alleged.

Listing out his government's 'achievements', includingbagging national awards in local administration, watermanagement and education, he exhorted the people to vote forthe 'two-leaves' symbol of the AIADMK.

Unlike 'the DMK' which was for power to the 'family,'AIADMK had always been committed to people and this explainedwhy people continued to venerate late leaders M G Ramachandranand J Jayalalithaa, even years after their death.

The AIADMK has been targeting DMK over 'dynasty'politics.

Accusing Stalin of 'dreaming' to capture power,Palaniswami said when he assumed office in 2017, the DMK chiefclaimed that the government would fall within 10 days, a monthand so on.

The government has, however, been successful all alongand ''your present dream will never become a reality. Again itwill be Amma's rule in Tamil Nadu,'' he said.

Also, the Chief Minister said Stalin was deliberatelyengaged in a false propaganda against the government andwondered why the DMK president did not go to villages andinteract with people when his party was in power.

He accused Stalin of winning the 2019 Lok Sabhaelections by 'deceiving' the people.

''You are trying to do that again,'' he said and addedthat if voted to power, only the family and not people,mattered for the DMK.

To DMK's charge that people did not vote in 2016 for himto become the Chief Minister, Palaniswami, in his repartee,said he became the CM after the demise of late leader JJayalalithaa, similar to M Karunanidhi assuming office afterthe death of DMK founder C N Annadurai in 1969.