MK Stalin has criticised Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa over her first statement from hospital
A day after Chief Minister Jayalalithaa issued a signed statement from her hospital bed, saying she has had a "rebirth" due to the "prayers by people" Opposition leader M K Stalin took her on, calling it a "gimmick" ahead of the by-election to three assembly seats.
In her statement, Ms Jayalalithaa, who had been in hospital since September 22, had thanked her party and people and had asked party workers to ensure victory in the by-elections, which will be held on Saturday.
Mr Stalin criticised the Chief Minister for focusing on votes at a time the people are suffering from a huge cash crunch following the Central government's decision to scrap notes of Rs 500 and Rs 1000.
Contending that governance has become a casualty in the state, Mr Stalin's party, the DMK, questioned why the AIADMK government has made an U-turn by implementing three of the Central schemes it had vehemently opposed.
In this list, the DMK named the Food Security Act, the Goods and Services Tax and Uday -- a scheme meant to revive loss-making electricity boards.
DMK spokesperson A Saravanan said, "I don't know whether it is with her knowledge and explicit instruction these were carried by Mr O Panneerselvam. The state government is completely paralysed."
Last month, Mr Panneerselvam, the state's finance minister and a loyalist of the Chief Minister, was handed the eight ministries that Ms Jayalalithaa personally supervised.
The ruling AIADMK claims the state's interests have been protected.
Senior leader and AIADMK spokesperson C Ponnaiyan said, "No other Chief Minister has done like Amma through her schemes to uplift the standard of living of common man".
The opposition claims the by-elections would be a referendum of sorts on the AIADMK's governance over the last few months.