Edappadi K. Palaniswami, Minister T.R.B. Rajaa spar over South Korean firm shifting planned unit to Andhra Pradesh

AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami alleged on Saturday that a South Korean footwear firm, Hwaseung, which had originally planned to set up a unit in Tamil Nadu, announced that it would shift operations to Andhra Pradesh.

In a post on his social media handle, he displayed the image of the Andhra Pradesh government’s order on providing incentives to the company. Finding fault with the DMK government over the development, he wondered what was the use for Chief Minister M.K. Stalin holding investors’ meetings, both in and outside the country.

Responding to Mr. Palaniswami’s allegation, Minister for Industries T.R.B. Rajaa dismissed the charge as “misleading, politically motivated, and disconnected from ground realities.” In a post on X, he said investment decisions depended on detailed assessments, including the location of the proposed project, existing industrial presence in the region, and the State’s long-term development goals. A memorandum of understanding (MoU) became a firm investment only after such evaluations, he said, emphasising that Chief Minister M.K. Stalin’s priority is balanced and region-wide growth.

Mr. Rajaa said Tamil Nadu, as India’s most urbanised State, had valuable land that could not be allotted without weighing incentives against the employment potential of each project. “Investments that do not align with the State’s objective of distributed growth are not prioritised,” he contended. He said the Chief Minister’s Office received multiple proposals daily, reflecting strong investor confidence in the Dravidian Model government. He highlighted that over 77% of MoUs signed since 2021 have already been converted into actual projects. Calling Tamil Nadu one of India’s most reliable industrial destinations, the Minister said the government would not “squander taxpayers’ money like some other States,” adding that if one project did not move forward, “a hundred more are in the pipeline.”

PMK president Anbumani Ramadoss said Hwaseung’s decision to move to Andhra Pradesh proved his party’s point of contention that Mr. Stalin and Mr. Rajaa were making misleading claims about private investments in Tamil Nadu.

Protest in Chennai

The AIADMK will stage a protest in Chennai on Monday to highlight “irregularities” in the enumeration process of the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls being committed by members of the ruling DMK. In a statement, Mr. Palaniswami said booth level officers were “refusing” to accept information from people regarding entries of dead and duplicate voters.