Tiruchirappalli (Tamil Nadu) [India], April 14 : AIADMK General Secretary and party candidate from Edappadi, Edappadi K Palaniswami on Monday criticised Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin over claims related to job creation in the state, questioning the number of employment opportunities generated in Tiruchirappalli.
Addressing a public rally, Palaniswami, popularly known as EPS, highlighted the efforts of the late former Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa and the AIADMK government in attracting industrial investments, which he said contributed significantly to the state's economic growth.
"During that time, under the Honourable Amma [Jayalalithaa], in Tamil Nadu, all those factories were started, and it was through them that production increased. Following that, Amma's government, walking in her footsteps, functioned excellently. In January 2019, following Amma's path, we held the Investors' Conference in Chennai. At that time, we attracted industrial investments worth 3 lakh 5 thousand crores. 304 Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) were signed. Most of those agreements became operational. Therefore, it was because the MOUs signed during the AIADMK rule came into effect that production grew," he said.
Attributing the state's fundamental growth to the previous AIADMK government, EPS said that CM Stalin is telling a "blatant lie." Referring to the CM's alleged statement that the DMK government provided jobs to 35 lakh people, EPS asked for the number of beneficiaries in Trichy under the Stalin government.
"It was not because of Stalin. He is giving full-page advertisements about this, as if as soon as the DMK government came into power, double-digit economic growth occurred. He is telling a blatant lie. The fundamental reason for this economic growth is the AIADMK government. Isn't that true? Today, as soon as Mr. Stalin came to power, he said 1,179 MOUs had been signed. He tells a lie that 15 lakh crores of industrial investment have been attracted. He says 35 lakh people have already gotten jobs. Is it true? How many lakh people in Trichy have gotten jobs? See how many blatant lies he is spinning," he said.
Palaniswami further elaborated on the process from signing MoUs to actual implementation, stating that industrial projects require several stages before generating employment.
"To start a factory, especially a large one, the first step is to acquire land. After acquiring land, permissions must be obtained from the Central and State governments. Then, for finance, investors don't use all their own money; they provide one-fourth and borrow three-fourths from the bank. Then the building must be constructed, machinery installed, and only then will it begin operations. All this work takes four years. At the very least, it takes four years, even if the work is carried out rapidly. But what does Stalin say? That as soon as the MOU is signed, 35 lakh people have jobs. How many in Trichy district have received them?" EPS questioned.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister MK Stalin on Sunday sought a fresh mandate for the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), pitching a "Dravidian Model 2.0" to take the state to the next level of development.
Seeking support ahead of the elections, Stalin said the DMK government has implemented several welfare and development schemes and appealed to voters to return his party to power. He also slammed the Bharatiya Janata Party and its ally All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), Stalin warned against the "double engine" government model.
Tamil Nadu will go to the polls in a single phase on April 23, with the counting of votes scheduled for May 4.
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