CHENGALPET: AIADMK general secretary and former chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami (EPS) on Saturday launched a blistering attack on the TVK govt, questioning its administrative competence, financial transparency and handling of public welfare.Addressing a public meeting at Chengalpet to mark the 55th anniversary celebrations of the party, Palaniswami condemned the current model of governance as a failure. “The chief minister (C Joseph Vijay) is completely out of touch, lacks independent decision-making, and avoids press conferences. The real governance is hijacked behind the scenes by a core group of ministers and coteries, turning it into a weak setup where critical state affairs are mismanaged,” he said.EPS lambasted the ruling party for failing to deliver tangible growth over its first several months in office. He said widespread price hikes are the only “achievement” of the govt. “Price hike is TVK’s gift to the people for the festival. The soaring prices of essential commodities have severely burdened poor and middle-class people, especially during the festive season,” he said.He noted that overseas trips by the chief minister and MoUs signed by the govt had failed to yield ground-level industrial progress. He said the TVK govt, which cancelled several tenders selected during the previous DMK regime, failed to float fresh tenders in time. He warned that skyrocketing costs for raw materials—such as tar, blue metal, sand, and labour—along with mounting delays, would ultimately escalate the cost of the projects, burdening taxpayers’ money.Highlighting widespread protests across various sectors, including nurses and state employees, EPS accused the administration of rampant departmental corruption and heavy-handed tactics. He declared that internal factionalism and administrative failure would lead to the TVK party fading away into thin air.Asserting that the AIADMK’s deep-rooted connection with the masses remains unshakable, he emphasised that the party was built on historic welfare schemes. He noted that the AIADMK is uniquely structured for the welfare of the people and stands apart as an organisation driven by its cadres rather than a family or superficial social media reels.EPS reiterated the party’s historical resilience, urging cadres to stay united and focused on public service. Maintaining that the AIADMK “remains the ultimate voice of the common people of Tamil Nadu,” he declared that the party would “rise like a phoenix” and return to power with public support. Addressing attempts by external elements to weaken or fracture the party, EPS warned that conspirators would fail because the AIADMK deeply values and honours its dedicated party functionaries and cadres.
