Chief Minister M K Stalin on Wednesday accused the BJP of conspiring to create violence in Tamil Nadu, allegedly on the lines of Uttar Pradesh and Manipur, and asserted that such attempts had been thwarted.
Addressing a DMK rally here for the upcoming Assembly polls, Stalin, the president of the ruling DMK, listed schemes implemented in the Tiruchirappalli region by his government. He referred to initiatives including the Panchapur bus terminus, a mini-stadium, a jallikattu arena, model schools and combined drinking water schemes.
Soon after his party forms the government again, a mega library named after Kamarajar, a TIDEL Park and an Olympic Academy will be inaugurated in the region, he said, adding that Tiruchirappalli’s development is now a challenge to the capital city, Chennai.
During the past five years, projects worth Rs 26,066 crore have been completed in Tiruchirappalli, and “that is why I have come seeking your votes,” Stalin said.
Asserting that his regime had successfully implemented assurances made ahead of the 2021 Assembly polls, including fare-free travel for women in buses, he said that nine lakh students received assistance of Rs 1,000 per month for higher education.
In January this year, a Rs 3,000 cash gift was provided to all rice ration card holders for the harvest festival Pongal.
Also read: CM Stalin campaigns for DMK in Tiruchirappalli
He referred to the disbursal of Rs 5,000 to 1.31 crore women beneficiaries in February — Rs 1,000 assistance per month provided for three months in advance, along with an additional Rs 2,000 summer grant — and the assured pension plan announced for state government employees (TAPS).
Further, he said: “Above all, there is no caste riot in Tamil Nadu, no religious riots like those seen in BJP-ruled states. No events of mob violence like those seen in Uttar Pradesh. No continuous violence like in Manipur.” He added: “We have also thwarted the conspiracies made by the BJP to create all these things. It is because of the peaceful environment and skilled human resources under our governance that investments are coming to Tamil Nadu today.”
Stalin said this growth must be taken to the next level and described the DMK election manifesto as a clear action plan. Quoting from it, he assured that the
Rs 1,000 provided monthly as a “rights grant” for women would be doubled to Rs 2,000.
Under the Pudhumai Penn and Tamil Puthalvan schemes, college students currently receiving Rs 1,000 per month will get Rs 1,500. The breakfast scheme will be extended up to Class 8, benefiting 15 lakh students, he said.
Under the proposed “Illatharasi” scheme, homemakers will be given Rs 8,000 worth of coupons to purchase or exchange household appliances such as washing machines, refrigerators, televisions, grinders, mixers, microwave ovens and induction stoves, from shops, brands and models of their choice, he added.
Stalin said the alliance formed by the AIADMK, which he accused of pushing Tamil Nadu into decline during its decade-long rule (2011–21), and the BJP must be handed a “customary defeat” in the election.
He alleged that AIADMK leader Edappadi K Palaniswami had criticised the Rs 8,000 coupon scheme out of envy, and claimed that such allegations came from a leader “who was running a regime solely to award contracts to his relatives”.
He emphasised that every product provided under DMK welfare schemes was of high quality, citing former chief minister M Karunanidhi’s colour television scheme as an example.
“After winning the election… over 1.5 crore colour televisions were delivered to Tamil households… nearly twenty years later, those sets still functioned in many homes,” he said.
In contrast, Stalin alleged that mixer-grinders and fans distributed during the AIADMK regime had ended up in scrap shops.
He also assured that over 20 lakh farmers availing free electricity would be provided modern pump sets without meters. Paddy procurement price will be increased to Rs 3,500 per quintal, sugarcane to Rs 4,500 per tonne, and milk procurement by Rs 5 per litre. Old-age pension will be increased to Rs 2,000 per month, and assistance for differently-abled persons to Rs 2,500 per month.
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