Tamil Nadu: I called the CM for debate, not his deputy: EPS

Addressing media persons at the Coimbatore airport on Wednesday, Palaniswami said he did not know if the Chief Minister lacked the confidence to take up his challenge or if he was a puppet Chief Minister, reiterating his earlier allegation that the State had four power centres. Since he made some serious allegations and said the Chief Minister had earned the wrath of the government employees, who had vowed to make him the Leader of the Opposition after the 2026 Assembly elections, the State government came out with a detailed explanation on the issue, listing out what had been done for the welfare of government employees. The official press release issued late on Monday night recalled the invoking of draconian legislations like ESMA and TESMA leading to the instant dismissal of lakhs and lakhs of government employees who struck work during the regime of J Jayalalithaa and also mentioned many other charges against the earlier AIADMK governments with regard to mishandling of government staff. Thennarasu also accused Palaniswami of hoodwinking everyone by claiming that during the AIADMK rule people were free to go on strike and referred to the crackdown on protesting government staff in 2017, 2017 and 2019, adding that the AIADMK leader was shedding crocodile tears for government employees now after oppressing them when he as in power.