Vellore: AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami on Sunday said that a mega alliance would be formed by his party for the 2026 Assembly election to take on the DMK and win polls and targeted Chief Minister M K Stalin over crimes against women and children.Addressing a public meeting, a conference of the party’s Ilaigyargal-Ilam Pengal Pasarai wing, he said DMK president Stalin said that the constituents of his party led alliance in the state were of the same ideology. “In that case, what is the need for separate parties?, all the parties could be merged with the DMK,” he said.As regards the AIADMK, electoral alliance and ideology are two different things and alliances are only meant to prevent split of votes in order to win polls, he said.”A very big alliance headed by the AIADMK will be formed for the 2026 Assembly election,” he said, adding the people, party office-bearers and workers batted for such an electoral alliance so that the AIADMK could form the next government by winning polls. Acceding to their demand, a “victorious alliance of strength” would be formed, he added.Though actor-politician Vijay-led TVK had recently said that it would not align with the AIADMK, speculation in this regard continues.Mocking at Stalin for his comment that young persons addressed him affectionately as ‘Appa’ (father), the AIADMK chief, referring to crimes against women and children, asked if the chief minister did not hear the ‘Appa’ cries of women and children who were subjected to sexual harassment and assault.Palaniswami accused the DMK of double standards as it had taken part in the late Chief Minister, M Karunanidhi’s stamp release event alongside Union ministers from the BJP.The AIADMK top leader claimed that the INDIA bloc was in a shambles eversince the DMK associated with it and alleged that the constituents are not truly committed to it.Blaming the DMK for compromising on its ideolgoy to capture power and for its ‘somersault’, he questioned the Stalin-led party’s committment to its ideology.Recalling the DMK’s alliances, since 1999, with the BJP and Congress, he said Stalin does not have any locus standi to criticise the AIADMK.”The DMK is an opportunistic party and it changed its colours often like a chameleon and they will compromise on anything for the sake of power,” Palaniswami alleged.In 1999, DMK was part of the BJP-led NDA at the Centre and in 2004 it was a constituent of the Congress led UPA, he said.Also, he said that the Centre’s insistence on implementation of NEP and three language norm for release of education funds to the state was not correct. Palaniswami asserted that Tamil Nadu would only follow the two language policy of Tamil and English. The AIADMK is committed to that policy and there shall be no change in that stand, he emphasised.The former chief minister asked the ruling DMK to fight for pending MGNREGA funds in the Parliament as people have elected 39 MPs belonging to the DMK and its allies. Also, he urged the Centre to release funds due to the state in order to benefit the people.
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