Sun Mar 23 15:44:34 UTC 2025: ## AIADMK Leader Blasts DMK Government Over Caste Census, Corruption, and Law and Order

**Salem, Tamil Nadu –** Former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and AIADMK General Secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami on Sunday heavily criticized the ruling DMK government, accusing it of stalling a caste census, failing to address corruption, and neglecting law and order.

Palaniswami stated that the DMK government had failed to extend the tenure of a one-man commission tasked with conducting a caste census, a project initiated during the previous AIADMK administration. He alleged the Chief Minister, M.K. Stalin, was deliberately delaying the census, citing various reasons to avoid undertaking the project.

He further dismissed the recent Joint Action Committee (JAC) meeting on fair delimitation organized by the Chief Minister as a mere diversionary tactic to overshadow the DMK government’s failures and corruption over the past four years. Palaniswami argued that the issue should be raised in Parliament, criticizing the lack of Congress participation in a related parliamentary demonstration.

The AIADMK leader also alleged widespread corruption within the state government, pointing to the Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) findings of a ₹1,000-crore fraud in the Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation (Tasmac). He denied claims that his speech in the state assembly was censored. Additionally, he clarified that the AIADMK did not stop the earned leave (EL) surrender system for teachers, citing COVID-19 school closures as the reason for the suspension.

Regarding the upcoming 2026 Assembly elections, Palaniswami stated that the AIADMK would include the restoration of the Old Pension Scheme in its manifesto, depending on the state’s financial position. He also denied allegations of BJP pressure to reinstate expelled party members and reiterated the AIADMK’s stance on alliances, emphasizing that alliances are strategic and not indicative of permanent ideological commitments. He concluded by criticizing the DMK alliance’s handling of law and order issues and rising crime rates, particularly crimes against women.

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