From dubbing to original voice of BJP: Stalin slams EPS for questioning govt starting colleges from temple funds

Lashing out at AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami (EPS) for questioning the government starting colleges from out of temple funds, Chief Minister and ruling DMK president MK Stalin on Thursday said far from being a mere dubbing voice of the BJP, the leader of the opposition has now become the original voice of the saffron party.

“Even BJP leaders have not opposed the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) Department starting colleges from out of temple funds. But, even they would be surprised at EPS being more loyal than themselves. Earlier, he was giving dubbing voice for the BJP, now he has turned out to be the original voice. As a former Chief Minister, he must be aware of the HR&CE statute, which provides for such initiatives. While, former Chief Minister and AIADMK founder MG Ramachandran (MGR) had inaugurated the Palani Andavar Engineering College (supported by the Murugan temple in Palani), EPS himself had inaugurated additional buildings in that college,” Stalin said speaking at a government function at Tiruvarur after distributing welfare assistance and unveiling completed projects besides laying the foundation for many works.

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Responding to the criticism levelled by the AIADMK leader at Coimbatore yesterday during his ongoing campaign ‘Save People and Redeem Tamil Nadu’, Stalin said, “Unable to retrieve the AIADMK, he has launched a campaign to retrieve Tamil Nadu. You have presided over a government known for ‘collection, corruption and commission and to protect yourself, you have mortgaged Tamil Nadu and the legitimate rights of the Tamils,” he retorted, adding “Tamil Nadu has already been retrieved from you.”

Stalin charged EPS with betraying and expelling from the party not only those who helped him climb up the ladder but also the party as well as the cadre by aligning with the BJP. He had surrendered the party to those who are not inclined to call the state Tamil Nadu, the official name, in an oblique reference to Governor RN Ravi, who had sent an invite with ‘Thamizhagam’ instead of Tamil Nadu, which was defended by the BJP.

Listing out the discrimination of the BJP-led Union Government right from financial allocation to withholding of Samagra Siksha Abhiyan (SSA) to impose Hindi and the delimitation of Lok Sabha constituencies which would reduce Tamil Nadu’s representation as well as the refusal to publish the Keezhadi excavation report unravelling the antiquity of Tamil civilisation as the oldest, the Chief Minister asked how it is possible for EPS to join hands with them without any qualms. Further, he said, overcoming the blunders committed during his reign, he claimed that the state is now on a developmental trajectory with a growth rate of 9.69 per cent and is becoming number one in the country.

Then directing his ire at Governor Ravi, the Chief Minister said the Raj Bhavan is yet to give assent to the Bill, unanimously passed by the Assembly, for establishing a University after his father and former Chief Minister M Karunanidhi, the late DMK patriarch. “He has been sitting over it for two months. Whether you give assent or not, we will set up the University, availing the legal avenues.”