Palaniswami Questions New Secretariat Plan Amid Tamil Nadu's Financial Strain

AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami has renewed his opposition to the TVK government's plan to build a new Secretariat-Assembly complex at Pattinapakkam in Chennai, questioning the timing of the project given the State's financial position.

Speaking to reporters in Madurai on Thursday, the former Chief Minister said the government had borrowed heavily since assuming office in May 2026. He claimed that ₹40,000 crore had been borrowed in the first four months alone, and asked why a new Secretariat was being planned when the State was under such financial pressure.

Mr. Palaniswami said the government should first address the financial crisis and then select a different location for the complex, one that would not inconvenience residents or worsen traffic congestion. He pointed out that the Pattinapakkam site is home to a fishing community and has schools nearby, and that the area already experiences frequent traffic jams. He urged the government to reconsider its choice of site.

Turning to the power situation, Mr. Palaniswami said Energy Resources Minister C.T.R. Nirmal Kumar has been denying reports of frequent power cuts under the TVK government, even as an additional 2,000 MW is being purchased from the open market to ease the shortage. He said concealing the facts would not resolve the crisis and called for constructive measures instead.

On the upcoming by-elections in Madurantakam and Dharapuram, Mr. Palaniswami said the polls had been forced on the people of Tamil Nadu. He alleged that the TVK had drawn two AIADMK MLAs into its fold through horse-trading and made them resign against the wishes of the voters in those constituencies. He added that even the Left parties supporting the TVK government have criticised this.

Rejecting the TVK's claim of a corruption-free administration, Mr. Palaniswami said the DVAC had seized several lakhs of rupees from government offices in recent months, which he said showed corruption had increased under the current regime. He also cited the abduction of an elderly trader in Tenkasi district as evidence of a deteriorating law and order situation, and said the government had failed to control the rise in foodgrain prices, leaving the public badly affected.