EPS slams DMK govt for ‘security lapses’ in TN

Chennai: AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami on Sunday slammed DMK govt for alleged security lapses in Tamil Nadu which allowed terror suspects to stay in the state. He referred to the arrest of six terror suspects by the Delhi police in Tirupur district recently. He questioned the state's Anti-Terrorism Squad for ‘failing' to detect their presence until central agencies stepped in. EPS said when the perception was that there were only murders and robberies due to ‘state's failures', the law and order situation has ‘worsened to the extent of terror suspects plotting attacks from TN'.
He accused DMK govt of allowing internal security to deteriorate and said repeated arrests by central agencies such as NIA showed the state govt's failure to act proactively. Referring to the 2022 Coimbatore car blast, EPS said the govt attempted to downplay the incident by calling it a "cylinder explosion" instead of acknowledging the terror threat. Allowing the present rule to continue could lead to a repeat of a "horrific incident like 1998", he said referring to Coimbatore serial bomb blasts. He called for an end to DMK govt to ‘restore peace in TN'. Addressing a public meeting later in the day at Ponneri in Chennai, EPS hit back at deputy chief minister Udhayanidhi Stalin for calling him a slave of the BJP. "If I am a slave, what would you call your grandfather (M Karunanidhi), who was in alliance with Vajpayee's BJP," EPS asked. "I am not anyone's slave. Your grandfather was," he said. Referring to alliances, he claimed the DMK front was facing internal strains, with Congress seeking more seats and a share in power, VCK keeping options open, and DMDK eyeing deputy chief minister's post. In contrast, he said the AIADMK alliance was united to return to power in 2026.