Palaniswami attacks TVK government over law and order, Cauvery issue

AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami on Wednesday accused the six-month-old TVK government of failing to maintain law and order in the State, not fulfilling its promises and not attracting investments.Murders and other crimes were on the rise and no major welfare or development schemes had been announced since it assumed office, he alleged.Addressing reporters at Edappadi, he said Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay had neither announced major schemes nor allocated funds for public welfare. “The government believes only in reels,” he claimed.Mr. Palaniswami attributed the rise in murders and sexual assaults to the sale of narcotic substances, particularly ganja, alleging that the government had failed to take preventive measures. Further, single-digit lottery tickets were being sold in Edappadi, he alleged and demanded action against the illegal trade.On the Mekedatu dam issue, he criticised Karnataka Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar’s statement that Karnataka did not require permission from Tamil Nadu or other co-basin States to construct the dam across the Cauvery. Karnataka could not proceed without the necessary permissions, he said.The Supreme Court had, during the AIADMK regime, directed Karnataka to release 177.25 tmc ft. of Cauvery water annually to Tamil Nadu, with a month-wise schedule for releases to the Mettur dam. Karnataka could neither divert the water nor construct dams without the consent of lower riparian States, he said. Mr. Shivakumar’s statement had raised concerns that the delta region could turn into a desert. Mr Vijay should clarify the State’s stand, he said.Describing the Cauvery as Tamil Nadu’s lifeline, Mr. Palaniswami said 20 districts depended on the river for drinking water and the delta districts for irrigation. The TVK government should ensure the state received its due share under the water-sharing order secured during the AIADMK regime. Shortage of water had affected paddy cultivation and agricultural production, contributing to higher prices of commodities, he alleged.On law and order, he said Minister for Public Works and Sports Development Aadhav Arjuna had promised good governance in the Assembly, but the government had delivered only a “reign of misery”. Even parties supporting the government had expressed concerns, he said.Responding to School Education Minister Rajmohan’s reference to murders under the previous DMK regime while answering questions about killings during Deepavali, Mr. Palaniswami said the incidents could not be compared. “Economic performance can be compared, but not murder incidents. People elect a government to prevent crimes. Maintaining law and order is its responsibility,” he said.Referring to a murder on Greenways Road in Chennai, where the Chief Minister had recently moved his camp office, he said the locality housed judges and Ministers. If the government could not ensure safety there, how could it protect people elsewhere, he asked. Criminals had no fear of the police, and even police personnel were not adequately protected, he alleged.Citing an incident in which a man grabbed a police inspector by the collar and the murder of a special sub-inspector, he said the incidents reflected the lack of protection for the police force. He attributed the rise in crime to poor administration and said the Chief Minister should provide proper guidance and clear instructions to the police.He also questioned the failure to act against a TVK MLA accused of sending an inappropriate message to a woman District Collector. Referring to the disappearance of a one-month-old infant, he alleged that the government had failed to protect women and children.On industrial closures, Mr. Palaniswami said 467 units had been ordered to shut down and their power connections disconnected following Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board inspections over the past five months. Industries should be given time to rectify violations instead of facing immediate closure, he said. Claiming that nearly 1.5 lakh workers had lost their jobs, he questioned how their families would survive. Sudden closures would also affect loan repayments and discourage investment.“Three industries have moved to Andhra Pradesh. Even projects for which Memorandum of Understanding had been signed earlier have gone there. No new industries have come to the state in the past six months,” he alleged. He accused a Minister of discouraging industrial investment and warned that the government’s approach would affect the State’s industrial prospects.Questioning the government’s claim of corruption-free administration, he referred to cash seizures during Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption raids and alleged that officials were demanding and accepting bribes. Asked whether the government needed more time, Mr. Palaniswami said: “Even if the government is given five years, it will not deliver. The people will only continue to suffer.”