Tamil Nadu Minister KA Sengottaiyan has rejected the allegations of DMK-AIADMK horse-trading. He called it a publicity stunt. Furthermore, he also defended the government on the removal of MK Stalin’s name from the plaque at the Nemmeli plant.
Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [भारत] July 7 (ANI): Tamil Nadu minister KA Sengottaiyan has hit back at both the DMK and AIADMK. Both parties had filed separate complaints with Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar alleging horse-trading by the ruling TVK government. Sengottaiyan dismissed the allegations as a ‘deliberate’ attempt to gain publicity.
Speaking to reporters on Monday, Sengottaiyan said, “These allegations are being made deliberately. Take the example of Nagercoil MLA Austin. During Amma’s (Jayalalitha) tenure, he has worked as a Rajya Sabha MP and district party secretary while being with us. After enjoying those positions, he joined the DMK. Now, after joining the DMK, he is making such statements only to get publicity. Moreover, We don’t need people like him at all. Our government has strong support from our coalition partners, which is enough for us to govern effectively.”
‘Horse-trading’ controversy and arrest of MLA
A new “horse-trading” controversy broke out in Tamil Nadu on June 1 when TVK MLA N. Ilaiyaraaja claimed that he was offered Rs 35 crore and threatened to influence his vote in a legislative proposal. Officials said on Wednesday that after this the police registered a case and arrested three people.
After this, senior DMK MLA Anita R. Radhakrishnan’s arrest created turmoil in the political politics of Tamil Nadu. Radhakrishnan used his detention to make explosive allegations of political pressure against members of the newly formed Tamizhaga Vetri Kazhagam (TVK).
Clash over the plaque of Nemmeli Plant
Sengottaiyan also reacted to DMK leader TM Anbarasan’s warning that the party would protest if the name of former chief minister MK Stalin was not restored on the plaque of the Nemmeli Desalination Plant. Sengottaiyan said it is a common practice that the plaque bears the name of the Chief Minister who inaugurates the project.
The minister said, “Everyone has the right to their opinion. Whenever a new government takes over, it completes ongoing projects, and it is a long-standing practice that the name of the chief minister who inaugurated the completed project is inscribed on a plaque. The chief minister has no intention of changing that tradition. Those who used to take credit for work by completing only five per cent of the projects, 95 per cent of which were completed by others, are now making such comments. His The comments are both ridiculous and strange.”
DMK warned, said- ‘This is a sticker government’
The controversy stems from comments earlier made by DMK leader Tha Mo Anbarasan, who said, “In 2006 and 2021, the Nemmeli sea water desalination project supplied 100 million liters of drinking water to the public. After the DMK came to power in 2021, the plant’s capacity was increased to 150 million liters per day, making it possible to supply drinking water to areas including Tambaram and Chengalpattu However, the name of the party leader has been removed from the memorial plaque and we protested on this issue. If this is not done then we will protest on a large scale.”
Anbarasan further alleged that the ruling party was taking undue credit for the DMK’s work, saying, “They (TVK) are taking credit for projects that were actually implemented by us (DMK). This TVK government is working as a sticker government, taking credit by merely sticking its label on projects executed by others. Instead of placing your trust on the stickers, place your trust on the projects themselves.” (ANI)
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