Chennai: Socialise with the poor and be wary of the rich -- this seems to be the motto Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edapaddi K Palaniswami wants to live by.
"This disease (coronavirus) was spread by the rich who travelled abroad. This virus came from foreign countries, right? You can talk freely with the poor but it's scary to talk to rich people. This virus was not born in Tamil Nadu," he said at a press briefing at the Secretariat on Thursday.
The comment came even as Tamil Nadu has been battling the worst effects of Covid-19, which made a late entry into the state but has affected more than 90% of the districts in less than three weeks.
The DMK hit out at Palaniswami for his statement, calling it a "classic misfiring of government priorities".
"The chief minister has a known penchant for misunderstanding and misfiring. It is a misunderstanding, in this day and age, that only the rich travel overseas," said DMK spokesperson Manu Sundaram.
"There are a number of blue-collar and semi-skilled workers who regularly seek employment overseas. What is more worrying is that this statement miscommunicates what should be the government's priorities," he added. "The focus should be on testing, tracing and containing. However, the AIADMK government is focusing on misleading claims such as poor vs rich. This is a classic misfiring of government priorities."
The coronavirus has affected 1,267 people across the southern state, most of them from the commercial hubs of Chennai and Coimbatore. In Palaniswamy's home constituency of Salem, 22 positive cases were recorded till April 15.
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