BJP siding with "corrupt" AIADMK: DMK's MK Stalin's response to Amit Shah

Chennai: DMK leader MK Stalin on Monday responded to Union Home Minister Amit Shah's allegation of corruption against his party, saying it was the BJP that "stands by corruption" by aligning with the ruling AIADMK in Tamil Nadu.

Ridiculing MK Stalin for speaking on corruption issues, Mr Shah had at a rally in Villupuram on Sunday asked him to "look within," asking "who did the 2G (spectrum allocation) scam" in which party MPs Kanimozhi and A Raja are accused.

The DMK was part of the Congress-led government when the lead party did "Rs 12 lakh crore" worth scams, he had said.

On Monday, Mr Stalin told reporters that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had earlier spoken on similar lines, "now Amit Shah has spoken and tomorrow all BJP leaders coming from the Centre will only say the same thing."

"They held the hands of OPS (Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam) and EPS (CM K Palaniswami), who are steeped in corruption, commission and collection. That shows who stands by corruption," he said in an apparent reference to PM Modi holding the hands of the two leaders at a government function in Chennai last month.

"Corruption, commission, collection" is an oft repeated statement by Stalin to target the ruling AIADMK over corruption charges.

On the preparations of his own party for the upcoming state assembly election MK Stalin said seat-sharing talks in the DMK-led alliance have commenced on Sunday; the party manifesto was also getting ready, he added.

A "special" meeting will be held on March 7 at Tiruchirappalli by the party where he will release a 10-year "vision document" to make Tamil Nadu number one in all sectors in a decade, MK Stalin said.

(Based on PTI with minor edits)