Chennai: Agriculture minister M R K Panneerselvam on Saturday slammed AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami for comparing DMK govt to historical dictators and questioned his “eligibility to speak about authoritarianism”.In a statement, Panneerselvam said, “Those who keep praising Prime Minister Narendra Modi have no right to lecture others about authoritarianism.”
Substantiating his charge, Panneerselvam said Palaniswami’s remarks showed “political frustration” over opinion polls that, according to him, reflected public mood in favour of DMK alliance and strong support from women voters. “Unable to digest these surveys, he has begun making baseless allegations,” he said. Earlier, Palaniswami issued a statement comparing chief minister M K Stalin with dictators such as Hitler, Mussuolini and Nero, and added that under DMK regime, the safety of women caused concern. Refuting Palaniswami’s charges, Panneerselvam said no attempts from Delhi with “authoritarian intent” would be permitted to succeed in Tamil Nadu. “The Dravidian model govt under our chief minister will resist injustices by Union govt led by BJP. When chief minister says Tamil Nadu will not bow to Centre, why does it irritate Palaniswami?” he asked. Recalling the Pollachi sexual assault case, the minister said Palaniswami had “no moral standing” to speak about women’s safety. “The situation in which women lived during his regime is best exemplified by Pollachi,” he said. Panneerselvam said DMK govt took unprecedented action against misuse of narcotic substances. “Those involved in drug trafficking are being arrested, and investigations are exposing links of AIADMK functionaries with such networks,” Panneerselvam said.
