Chennai: Tamil Nadu’s Leader of Opposition Edappadi K Palaniswami and a host of senior AIADMK leaders called on Governor Banwarilal Purohit and submitted a petition. The Opposition party alleged that the DMK government helmed by MK Stalin was run on the sole agenda of “Corruption, Collection and Vendetta”. This comes at a time when the Tamil Nadu Assembly session is underway and the Opposition AIADMK staged a walkout on Wednesday.
During the newly formed DMK government’s tenure, state agencies have been probing graft cases against influential leaders of the AIADMK and the former ministers, besides conducting raids at their premises. This is in line with the DMK’s poll promise of investigating the corruption allegations, based on the 10-year long tenure of the AIADMK. MR Vijayabaskar and SP Velumani are among the ministers who were under the agencies’ scanner.
Another case that has hogged the limelight is that of the sensational Kodanad murder case that took place back in 2017. It involved the murder of a security guard at the premises of former Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa’s lavish estate in the ecologically sensitive Nilgiris. Burglaries and break-ins had also taken place at the estate. The Tamil Nadu Police had questioned one of the accused in the case, Saiyan, earlier this week.
According to K Palaniswami, these alleged acts of vendetta politics are meant to divert public glare from the DMK’s inability to fulfill their tall poll promises, despite having completed 100 days in power. The AIADMK has been hitting out at the DMK over the latter’s poll promise of doing away with NEET Entrance exam for Medical courses. It is notable that the ministers from the DMK government have asked students to prepare for the NEET exam, as the entrance test is to be held as usual.
The DMK constituted a committee led by a retired Judge to study the effects of NEET on students from disadvantaged sections of society. The committee had submitted its report to the State government, which is examining it. However, it remains to be seen whether a State government can overturn a Supreme Court order that mandates NEET exam across the country and seek exemption for NEET for Tamil Nadu. Chief Minister Stalin said on Wednesday that the government was preparing to table a bill against NEET in the State Assembly. It must be noted that this is the second such anti-NEET bill from the Southern state, the first one being during the AIADMK-rule. However, the AIADMK government failed to get Presidential assent for the then bill.
