'DMK wants power at Centre, State so they can loot easily': AIADMK's Palaniswami at Tamil Nadu's Madurai

Madurai (Tamil Nadu) [India], March 28 : The general secretary of All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), Edappadi K Palaniswami, hit out at the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) in Tamil Nadu while addressing an election event in Madurai on Thursday.
"DMK wants to rule both at the Centre and the state because they think that if both sides are in power, they can loot easily. Karunanidhi's family has no intention of benefiting the people who voted for them," Palaniswami said.
He was seeking votes for Saravanan, AIADMK's candidate from Madurai Lok Sabha constituency. "Vote for him on double leaf symbol and make him win. Madurai is AIADMK's bastion," he remarked.
"You made the people of Madurai vote for the DMK alliance candidate in the last parliamentary Lok Sabha election. He did nothing for five years. We brought AIIMS Hospital to Madurai during the AIADMK government. DMK people elected 38 MPs and what did they do in Parliament. The Central Government constituted the Cauvery Management Committee. The AIIMS hospital we brought was not completed. DMK's 38 MPs should have put pressure in Parliament but Udhayanidhi Stalin is campaigning on the streets carrying bricks. DMK does not have the guts to pressurise," he added.
"They are unable to speak, instead, they criticise me. Stalin and Udhayanidhi Stalin were not ready to describe the achievements of his rule. AIADMK must win if Tamil Nadu's rights are to be reclaimed," the former CM said.
Emphasising the AIADMK governance in the state, Palaniswami said, "Stalin says that the AIADMK regime is a dark regime but people say that the AIADMK rule in Tamil Nadu is the golden age rule. Stalin wants to freeze the party by filing false cases against the AIADMK leaders. When MGR started this party, he faced many problems. Then Jayalalitha also faced many problems, after which AIADMK provided good governance for 30 years."
"DMK has no policy. DMK will do anything for power. When Stalin was the Leader of the Opposition, whenever Prime Minister Modi came to Tamil Nadu, he said Go Back Modi. After DMK came to power, they said Welcome Modi," he remarked.
Tamil Nadu will see voting on all 39 Lok Sabha seats in Phase 1 on April 19, and the counting of votes will be held on June 4.
In 2019, the DMK won 23 Lok Sabha seats with a 33.2 per cent vote share, Congress bagged 8 seats with a 12.9 per cent vote, and the CPI won two seats in Tamil Nadu. CPI (M) got a seat, IML won 1 seat, and independents were elected to two seats.
The election for 543 Lok Sabha seats in the country will be held in seven phases starting April 19. Nearly 97 crore voters are eligible to cast votes in the general election.