Attempts to whip up religious frenzy will not succeed in Tamil Nadu, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam leader M.K. Stalin said on Friday.
Tamil Nadu is a Dravidian land and ‘modi masthan’ (a pun on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and a colloquial reference to black magicians) acts, such as inciting religious sentiments and attempts to impose Hindi and Sanskrit, would not work in the State, Mr. Stalin said.
He reiterated that the DMK was not opposed to any religious faith and would uphold social harmony and protect the honour of all religions.
‘No tangible work’
The Assembly election was not just about ushering in a change of guard in Tamil Nadu, but also about protecting the self-respect and retrieving the lost rights of the State, he said, campaigning for party candidates in Srirangam and Karur.
Claiming that the AIADMK government and the BJP at the Centre had not done anything tangible for the people, Mr. Stalin said the two parties were only bent on criticising the DMK. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had promised that the Centre would provide jobs to two crore people per year but never fulfilled it. Similarly, Mr. Modi’s promise of doubling the income of farmers too had not materialised. The AIADMK government too failed to deliver on the slew of promises it made, including free distribution of farm inputs.
Mr. Stalin said the party, while in power, had implemented various schemes for the development of western region and asked whether Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palanisamy can list out any schemes implemented by their government.
‘Betrayed people’
Campaigning for DMK and other ally candidates, he said the Kongu Vellalar Gounder community is dominant in the region and had been demanding reclassification as a Backward Class since 1955. “The then Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi fulfilled their demand by issuing a Government Order on May 16, 1975,” he added. He said that members of the community were able to get jobs both in Central and State government only because of the reclassification.
Mr. Stalin said that the Chief Minister and the power-vested five ministers, Mr. Thangamani, Mr. Sengottaiyan, Mr. Karuppannan, Mr. Velumani, Mr. Radhakrishnan, are from the region. “But they did nothing and were selfish and betrayed the people,” he claimed. The opposition leader said that by accepting the implementation of the Goods and Services Tax (GST), three farm laws, eight-lane expressway project, protecting the accused in the Pollachi sexual assault case, approving pipeline projects that pass through farmlands, collecting water charges and awarding tenders only to relatives, and benami, the AIADMK government had betrayed the people in the region.
Irregularities and corruption pervaded all sectors under the current regime. The BJP and the AIADMK have now joined hands seeking support for them, Mr. Stalin said, appealing to the people to drive the two parties out of the State.
The government headed by Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami had only been protecting the party and itself and was not concerned about the welfare of the people. The AIADMK government remained a “slave” to the BJP government at the Centre and “sacrificed” the rights of Tamil Nadu whether it was in the case of NEET or with regard to Goods and Services Tax.
The DMK, once elected to power, would pass a resolution in the Assembly seeking the withdrawal of the new farm laws.
The DMK would present a separate budget for agriculture and take steps to revive ‘Uzhavar Sandhais’. Giving assurances for developing Karur district, he said the DMK would take steps to allow lifting of sand through bullock carts from Amaravathi river. Western region
Later, canvassing for candidates at Erode, Mr. Stalin said the party, while in power, had implemented various schemes for the development of western region and asked whether Mr. Palanisamy could list out any schemes implemented by his government.
He said Kongu Vellalar Gounder community had been demanding that it be reclassified as a Backward Class from 1955. “The then Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi fulfilled their demand by issuing a Government Order on May 16, 1975 that enabled them to get their rights,” he added. The members of the community were able to get jobs both in Central and State government only because of the reclassification.
Mr. Stalin said the Chief Minister and other Ministers Thangamani, Sengottaiyan, Karuppannan, Velumani and . Radhakrishnan were from the region. “But they did nothing and were selfish and betrayed the people,” he claimed. The opposition leader charged that by accepting the implementation of GST, three farm laws, eight-lane expressway project, and by protecting the accused in the Pollachi sexual assault case, the AIADMK government had betrayed the people in the region.
