Chennai: Stepping up his attack on the ruling dispensation over the hike in prices of Aavin products, including ghee, butter and festive sweets, AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami on Tuesday termed it a bitter “Vettri Diwali gift” to the people of Tamil Nadu.In a post on X, Palaniswami criticised chief minister C Joseph Vijay’s administration, “Is this a govt or a corporate villain who exploits festive demand?” he asked.“While even private traders offer discounts during Diwali to boost sales, this govt operates with a mercenary mindset, striking right when demand peaks,” he said.Palaniswami accused the govt of treating essential products like cinema tickets sold on the black market. “Just as Vijay’s movie tickets used to be jacked up and sold in ‘black’ for Diwali releases, have you now hiked sweet prices just because it’s Diwali time? Do not trade public essentials in the black out of sheer force of habit!” he said.PMK president Anbumani Ramadoss also criticised the price hike and demanded the govt to rollback the increase.
