AIADMK General Secretary EPS Flays Government Over Agricultural Power Tariffs

AIADMK General Secretary and Leader of the Opposition Edappadi K. Palaniswami (EPS) strongly condemned the TVK administration today, accusing the ruling government of silently greenlighting hidden power tariff adjustments that severely impact farming communities across the state. Addressing party functionaries at the headquarters in Royapettah, EPS claimed that escalating operational costs and rigid discom billing norms are driving agrarian cooperatives to the brink of insolvency. He demanded an immediate rollback of recent procedural changes affecting agricultural pump-set connections, warning of state-wide protests if relief measures are not announced within the week. The opposition leader also criticized the government's handling of rural infrastructure maintenance, pointing to unfulfilled promises regarding canal desilting and subsidized fertilizer distribution in the Delta districts. Political analysts note that the AIADMK is aggressively trying to consolidate its rural voter base by highlighting agrarian distress against the backdrop of the newly formed TVK dispensation's economic policies. The ruling party is yet to issue a detailed formal rebuttal, though cabinet sources maintain that current tariff structures protect vulnerable smallholders through targeted state subsidies.