Stepping up his tirade against the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) in his second day of statewide tour in Coimbatore on Tuesday, All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami contended the only achievement of the present dispensation after 50 months in power has been effecting steep increase in taxes.

Terming the DMK regime as a ‘failure model government’, Mr. Palaniswami said “the 100 per cent increase in residential property tax, 150 per cent rise in tax on commercial property, and the drastic increase in electricity tariff” have hit the people hard. Prices of essential commodities have increased. The cost of rice has increased by ₹20 a kg. People are subjected to untold hardship, Mr. Palaniswami said, addressing people at Vadavalli, Sai Baba Colony, Town Hall, Vadakovai, and Puliakulam in the city .

“Our alliance is growing strong. Confusion is only on your side,” Mr. Palaniswami said, referring to comments of Vidhuthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) leader Thol Thirumavalavan and CPI state secretary R. Mutharasan on the AIADMK-Bharatiya Janata Party(BJP) alliance.

“Any comment on our alliance is an acknowledgement of weakness on the opponent’s side,”, Mr. Palaniswami said, pointing out the BJP had accepted the leadership of AIADMK in the alliance. “Home Minister Amit Shah has stated that I will be the Chief Minister (candidate)”.

More parties were joining the AIADMK-BJP alliance. All India Forward Block (AIFB) and Indiya Jananayaka Katchi (IJK) had already joined. The alliance will win 210 out of 234 constituencies, he believed. “We will retrieve Tamil Nadu from the clutches of (Mr.Stalin’s) family,” the former Chief Minister said. He appreciated CPI(M) state secretary Shanmugam for giving a reality check to the DMK Government about the disenchantment of the people with the regime.

Targeting the government on the law and order front, Mr. Palaniswami said elderly couples living alone in the Western districts of Coimbatore, Erode and Tiruppur were targeted by criminals, and the police department was unable to stop the crime. The main cause for the crimes was addiction to ganja and the free availability of narcotics, Mr. Palaniswami said referring to the latest murder of a father-son duo by ganja peddlers in Madurai for having passed on information of their illegal activity to the law-enforcers.

Even policemen are not secure in the current regime, he said, referring to the robbery committed on a policeman and his wife in Coimbatore. People are living in constant fear, Mr. Palaniswami said

According to him, the AIADMK regime from 2011 to 2021 was instrumental in scaling up gross enrolment ratio in higher education by opening more number of colleges. The DMK, on the other hand, he claimed, was diverting the money contributed by devotees to the temples administered by HR and CE Department for the purpose of upkeep of the shrines to start colleges.

Mr. Palaniswami assailed the move by the regime to transfer 250 acres of the land belonging to Tamil Nadu Agricultural University meant for research on dryland crops at Aruppukottai to SIPCOT, without the consent of the varsity.

“As a farmer, I realise the importance of research for doubling the income of farmers, Mr. Palaniswami said, claiming he was raising the issue at the request of the researchers.