Chennai, Feb 19 (IANS) AIADMK General Secretary and Leader of Opposition Edappadi K. Palaniswami (EPS) on Thursday launched a sharp attack on Chief Minister M.K. Stalin, accusing him of claiming credit for welfare measures introduced by the previous AIADMK government and engaging in what he termed “sticker politics”.

In a post on his social media handle, Palaniswami alleged that the DMK government had failed to implement any significant new schemes since assuming office and was instead rebranding AIADMK-era initiatives.

“After coming to power, they have not delivered a single meaningful scheme. All they have done is paste stickers over projects launched by the AIADMK,” he said.

He accused Stalin of attempting to take credit for the 3 per cent reservation in government jobs for sportspersons, stating that the scheme was originally introduced as a 2 per cent quota in 2018 under the AIADMK regime and later enhanced to 3 per cent during his tenure.

“At a recent sports department function, the Chief Minister tried to write his name over the benefits of the 3 per cent quota for sportspersons. It is laughable,” he remarked.

Palaniswami also referred to the 7.5 per cent internal reservation for government school students in medical admissions, claiming that he had already exposed what he called “historical falsehoods” surrounding the scheme during a debate in the Assembly.

He reiterated that both the 7.5 per cent medical quota and the sports quota were carefully designed initiatives implemented during the AIADMK government, reflecting his understanding of government school students and sportspersons.

“What exactly has Stalin done in these schemes? Apart from posing for photographs while issuing appointment orders, what is his contribution?” he questioned.

Challenging the DMK leadership, Palaniswami said Stalin should campaign on the achievements of his own government rather than “ride on our schemes”.

He ended his post with a pointed remark: “If there are no achievements to speak of, then I wish you defeat.”

The statement came shortly before the DMDK formally joined the DMK-led alliance. Palaniswami did not address the development in his post. When reporters later sought his reaction to DMDK’s move, he said he would respond at an appropriate time and left without elaborating.

–IANS

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