AIADMK General Secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami recently made a strong accusation, attributing the tragic deaths of children in Madhya Pradesh from contaminated cough syrup directly to the negligence of the Tamil Nadu government.
Speaking to reporters outside the Assembly, Mr. Palaniswami emphasized that the State government had a clear responsibility to diligently monitor medicine manufacturing facilities, specifically mentioning a company based in Kancheepuram. He pointed out that the World Health Organization had previously issued warnings regarding the dangerous cough syrup, yet, he claimed, the government failed to conduct necessary inspections in both 2024 and 2025.
Furthermore, the AIADMK leader delved into the alleged illegal kidney sale racket, dismissing Health Minister Ma. Subramanian’s response as “evasive.” Palaniswami asserted that no decisive action had been taken against the implicated hospital, allegedly due to its ties with a ruling party legislator. He criticized the DMK government for not adhering to the directives issued by the Madras High Court on this grave matter.
Addressing the state’s financial health, Mr. Palaniswami presented a comparison: during the AIADMK’s tenure from 2016-2021, Tamil Nadu received ₹1,33,590 crore in Union taxes and duties. Under the current DMK administration, this figure increased significantly to ₹2,32,723 crore. Additionally, Central grants for various projects reportedly saw a ₹25,000 crore increase.
Despite this apparent rise in funds, Palaniswami highlighted that the DMK government had accumulated a staggering ₹4.52 lakh crore in loans over the past four years. He also criticized the unfulfilled promise of Chief Minister M.K. Stalin to implement an online application scheme for farm loans for cooperative society members.