"DMK alliance fantasises about winning 200 seats": Palaniswami targets Stalin

Tiruvarur (Tamil Nadu) [India], July 19 (ANI): AIADMK general secretary, Edappadi K. Palaniswami, has targeted the ruling DMK government in Tamil Nadu, saying that their alliance fantasies of winning 200 seats in the upcoming Assembly polls.
While addressing a gathering in Tiruvarur as part of his State-wide Makkalai Kappom, Thamizhgathai Meetpom roadshow, EPS exuded confidence that the AIADMK alliance will secure over 210 seats in the polls.
"The DMK alliance fantasises about winning 200 seats, but this rally is proof that the AIADMK alliance will secure over 210 seats...Their leaders are knocking on doors across Tamil Nadu pretending to listen to people's issues, only to recruit members for their dying party," he said.
"DMK has looted thousands of crores over the past four years, especially through Tasmac liquor sales," Palaniswami said.
"Rs 15 crore a day, Rs 5,400 crore a year - the scam starts from bottle selection itself," he added.
Earlier, addressing a large gathering in Melamukoodal, under the Poombuhar constituency, EPS countered Chief Minister MK Stalin's recent jibe, calling his campaign bus "Sundaram Travels," stating, "Yes, I came by bus - because I am a farmer. This is the kind of vehicle I will always travel in. But you, Stalin, can afford to travel in Benz cars, helicopters, or even private jets. You have Rs 8,000 crore in your family trust."
The AIADMK leader, riding in an open campaign vehicle through cheering crowds along the route from Keezhmukoodal to Melamukoodal, accused the DMK government of betraying farmers and merely rebranding AIADMK-initiated welfare projects.
"The District Collector's office in this region was sanctioned by the AIADMK. The DMK merely pasted a sticker on it and claimed credit," he alleged.
EPS further accused the ruling party of attempting to seize farmlands through methane and ethane gas projects and praised the previous AIADMK regime for declaring the Delta region a protected agricultural zone.
He lambasted the DMK government's failure to procure paddy effectively.
"Farmers are forced to stack their paddy bags in open fields. They're getting drenched in the rain while the government looks away. At procurement centers, farmers are forced to pay a Rs 60 bribe per sack. Is this the kind of government we need?" he questioned. "In our regime, farmers got fair prices. Now, there's only neglect and exploitation."
EPS also slammed the DMK's promise-versus-performance record, pointing out that less than 10 percent of its election manifesto promises have been fulfilled. "All Stalin does is announce a scheme every day and pose for photos. If there were a Nobel Prize for lying, it should go to him," he quipped. (ANI)