DMK not only failed to curb price rise but also increased power tariff, says EPS
The hike in the electricity tariff by the DMK government has severely hit the powerloom sector, especially during peak hours, AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami said on Monday.
The handloom sector was also severely hit, but the Central and State governments have not helped, he said, campaigning for AIADMK candidate E. Rajasekar in the Kancheepuram Lok Sabha constituency.
Mr. Palaniswami said that if elected, the AIADMK candidate would speak about the hardships of the loom industry in Parliament. He said the BJP’s election manifesto did not even mention the handloom sector, as the party does not care about weavers.
‘People affected’
The prices of various food items and construction materials too have risen, but the DMK government has not only failed to control them but has increased, among others, the electricity tariff that has affected the people severely, Mr. Palaniswami said.
Other industries were severely affected by the hike in power tariff and residential units were hit too, he said. “If the DMK comes to power, the electricity tariff will go up again,” he claimed.
He also criticised the power cuts during the DMK regime and said that there was uninterrupted supply during the erstwhile AIADMK government.
While there was no employment and thereby no income, the expenditure kept rising and the DMK government had failed to control the price rise, Mr. Palaniswami said.
Due to the rise in the prices of construction materials, the poor and the middle class were not able to build their houses, he claimed.
Pointing out that Kancheepuram was the birthplace of Chief Minister C.N. Annadurai, Mr. Palaniswami said his party was named after the late leader and the party flag, too, featured him.
While Annadurai’s dream was fulfilled by late AIADMK founder and former Chief Minister M.G. Ramachandran, the latter’s dream was fulfilled by former Chief Minister Jayalalithaa, he said.
“The AIADMK government has fulfilled the dreams of all these three leaders,” Mr. Palaniswami said. Though the three late leaders did not leave behind an heir, the AIADMK
2G spectrum case
He also recalled the 2G spectrum case (in which all accused were acquitted).
Blaming the Central and State governments for the rise in the prices in various commodities, including fuel, Mr. Palaniswami termed them “antipeople” and called upon the electorate to teach them a befitting lesson in the April 19 Lok Sabha election.