"Travel by bus as I am farmer": EPS slams Stalin during delta campaign in Mayiladuthurai district

Mayiladuthurai (Tamil Nadu) [India], July 18 (ANI): AIADMK General Secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami (EPS) launched a scathing attack on the ruling DMK and Chief Minister MK Stalin during a high-voltage campaign in the Delta region as part of the "Let's Protect the People, Let's Save Tamil Nadu" tour, AIADMK said in a press release.
Addressing a large gathering in Melamukoodal, under the Poombuhar constituency, EPS countered 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.
Taking aim at unfulfilled promises, EPS said, "Stalin promised to regularise part-time teachers but failed to do so after coming to power. That's his double game. They also stopped the free laptop scheme for government school students. When AIADMK returns to power, we will resume distributing laptops."
On the 100-day employment scheme, he added, "It has now been reduced to just 50 days. The central government has asked for data multiple times, but the state government refuses to share it."
EPS raised concerns over deteriorating law and order and rising drug sales across Tamil Nadu. "For three years, we've been raising this issue. Now Stalin says 'don't fall into the trap of drugs.' By saying this, he's accepting that the state is drowning in drugs."
In a pointed attack at Stalin's son and DMK youth wing leader Udhayanidhi Stalin, EPS said: "What has Udhayanidhi done for the DMK? Senior leaders like Duraimurugan toiled for decades and weren't made Deputy Chief Minister. Is there any democracy in DMK?"
He further added, "I didn't rise through my father's name. I worked hard, climbed step by step, and earned this position. The path you came through is different from mine." (ANI)