Alliance decision after LS poll dates: EPS
NEW DELHI: The All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) will decide on forming alliances for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls after election dates are announced, Tamil Nadu chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami said after meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Delhi on Monday, amid a buzz over his party’s proximity to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Palaniswami also submitted to PM a 20-point memorandum listing various demands including the state’s opposition to Karnataka’s proposal to construct a reservoir across river Cauvery at Mekedatu and conferment of ‘Bharat Ratna’ on former chief ministers of Tamil Nadu C N Annadurai and J Jayalalithaa.
“(Lok Sabha) elections have not been announced. We will decide on an alliance once the poll dates are announced,” Palaniswami told reporters in reply to a specific question.
On the Cauvery issue, Palaniswami referred to Karnataka sending a feasibility report to the Centre on the construction of a 67.16 TMC ft ‘balancing reservoir’ at Mekedatu. The proposal amounts to ‘a clear violation’ of the final order of the Cauvery Tribunal and the Supreme Court judgement, he contended.
He urged Modi to instruct the Central Water Commission or any other relevant agency to stop forthwith further processing of Karnataka’s feasibility report to build the reservoir.
The memorandum, a copy of which was released to media, called for bringing three Tamil Nadu towns — Hosur, Ramanathapuram and Neyveli-under the regional air connectivity scheme UDAN.
It also urged the Prime Minister to expedite the setting up of AIIMS in Madurai district, release funds to the tune of ₹ 4,445 crore for permanent flood mitigation initiatives for Chennai and IGST arrears for the year 2017-18.
On the controversy surrounding the meeting between his deputy O Panneerselvam and ousted AIADMK leader TTV Dhinakaran, Palaniswami said, “Dhinakaran made some remarks through the media and the deputy chief minister has given a clarification. There is no need for anymore explanation”.
Dhinakaran had alleged on Friday that Panneerselvam met him in July last year and wanted to meet him again in Septemberend this year in a bid to “oust” Palaniswami. He also claimed that Panneerselvam offered to make him the chief minister. However, Panneerselvam has denied Dhinakaran’s accusation that he wanted to dethrone Palaniswami.