Palaniswami’s swipe at DMK’s poll promises: Make assurances you can fulfill

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Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami on Tuesday took a swipe at the DMK over poll promises, saying a party should give only those assurances that could be implemented.

Recalling then DMK chief, the late M Karunanidhi’s 2006 poll promise of providing two acres of land free of cost to all landless farmers in the state, Palaniswami asked if the party fulfilled its assurance.

“Did they give. No. (DMK president MK) Stalin is desperate to get people’s votes by fooling and confusing them,” he said at an election rally at Aranthangi in this district.

He said Stalin’s wish would not be fulfilled, implying people won’t vote for him.

In an apparent dig at the DMK over the 500 assurances made in its poll manifesto for the April 6 elections, the AIADMK joint coordinator said “it is ok if promises that can be implemented are made.”

“If unimplementable assurances are made, they can never be fulfilled,” he said.

He recalled late chief minister J Jayalalithaa had during the 2011 elections promised to provide free mixer, grinder and table fan, if voted to power, and “implemented” it.

The DMK’s manifesto was also ‘misleading’ as Stalin has promised waiver of farm loans, Palaniswami said and pointed out his government has already waived Rs 12,110 crore obtained from cooperative banks and even the receipts have been provided to the persons concerned.

“DMK’s manifesto is one that fools people,” he added.

The AIADMK’s manifesto, which among other populist measures promises free washing machines and solar stoves, was aimed at all-round benefit, he said.

Questioning Stalin’s assertion of redressing people’s grievances within the first 100 days of assuming office if voted to power, Palaniswami wondered what was the DMK leader doing as deputy chief minister and minister earlier.

Ridiculing DMK ally Congress, he alleged that the party ‘pleaded’ with its alliance leader for seats and got 25 of them.

“A century-old Congress party that got 63 seats (in 2011), 41 (in 2016), now has 25,” he said.

However, the AIAMDMK has forged a mega alliance, Palaniswami said.

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Slashing Petrol & Milk Prices, Scrapping NEET, Court to Try AIADMK Leaders: DMK Manifesto Highlights

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MK Stalin’s Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) on Saturday released its manifesto for the Tamil Nadu assembly elections that are to be held in a single phase on April 6. The manifesto, unveiled in Chennai, focuses on developmental plans and direct subsidy measures. It came a day after Stalin released the list of 173 DMK candidates for the elections, announcing that he will contest the Kolathur constituency.

Key promises

• The creation of a new cyber police station to deal with cases involving women.

• All noon meal employees (those involved in the mid-day meal programme) will be made government employees.

• Increase in property tax will be waived.

• The setting up of a department under the chief minister to handle all grievances that came in during Stalin’s campaign programme.

Milk prices will be slashed by Rs 3/litre.

• Unemployed youth will be provided Rs 20 lakh to start a new business.

• Women employees will be given maternity leave for one year. At present, the provision of leaves is for six months.

A special court will investigate alleged crimes by the ruling All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK).

Drinking water will be made available through pipelines in all corporation, including in Chennai.

• Passing a resolution in the first meeting of new assembly against holding NEET (National Eligibility cum Entrance Test ), an emotive issue.

Prices of petrol and diesel will be reduced Rs 5 and Rs 4, respectively.

• Payment of electricity bill will become monthly instead of bimonthly.

• The creation of a grievance redressal mechanism.

• Assembly proceedings will be telecast live on television.

Pongal celebrations will be made a state-wide festival event.

Rs 4,000 will be provided for rice ration card.

Rs 100-subsidy for cooking gas.

Free tablet computers for students studying in government schools.

• A Rs 10,000-crore water body preservation project to start under CM’s direct supervision.

• Fast-tracking probe into the death of former chief minister J Jayalalithaa.

• A special panel to make Chennai flood-proof.

• A law to provide 75% of the jobs to locals.

Financial assistance of Rs 25,000 each for one lakh people going on pilgrimage to major Hindu temples.

The big picture

The manifesto caters to a wide range of people: the economically weaker sections, the core DMK vote base, the common man and also a younger population looking for jobs. Stalin promises tablet computers for government school students, taking a leaf from the book of Jayalalithaa, who distributed laptops among school students. He bolsters his Tamil pitch by his job reservation promise and reaches out to Hindus through the proposed financial assistance for pilgrimage. He continues opposing the Centre on the NEET issue.

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CPI leader D. Raja defends poll tie-ups in Tamil Nadu, Bengal

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Political compulsions were behind the limited share of seats for the Left parties in Tamil Nadu, said CPI general secretary D. Raja, ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections. He also defended the Left Front’s alliance with Muslim cleric Abbas Siddiqui’s party Indian Secular Front (ISF) in Bengal.

The DMK has conceded only six seats each to the CPI and the CPI(M) in Tamil Nadu, when the latter had demanded a number that touched at least double digits.

“There are many political compulsions, which is understandable. We tried our best to get a good share, but that was not possible. We felt that it was far more critical to stall the BJP in the State, which is trying to get a foothold by riding on the AIADMK’s shoulders,” Mr. Raja told The Hindu.

The CPI leader, however, conceded that the Left’s seat share in alliances often did not correspond to the political and ideological influence that it wielded.

Bengal tie-up

The Left Front in Bengal has come under severe criticism for its alliance with greenhorn party ISF, which is headed by chief patron of Furfura Sharif Abbas Siddiqui. The Left Front has been slammed for conceding 37 seats to the party that many see as a communal one.

Defending the decision, Mr. Raja said, “There is no evidence that the ISF or Mr. Siddiqui has stoked communal violence. Just because the ISF has a substantial Muslim following doesn’t make it communal. If that was the case, then what should we call the BJP, who promote communal fascist politics?”

The elections in West Bengal, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Assam and Puducherry were critical to save the secular democratic structure of India, he added.

Mr. Raja also countered the claim that the Left Front’s political line in Bengal was flawed, with an emphasis on targeting the ruling TMC rather than the resurgent BJP.

“There is no doubt that in Bengal, the BJP has to be stopped. At the same time, we must ask the question on how we reached this pass. Who allowed the BJP’s entry in the State? Who opened the doors for them?” he asked.

Mamata incident

On the alleged assault on Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, the CPI leader said that while it was clear that she was injured, it was for the Bengal authorities to find out how the incident happened.

The TMC, in a memorandum to the Election Commission on Friday, claimed that unknown miscreants tried to kill Ms. Banerjee.

Condemning the incident, Mr. Raja said, “There should never be any place for violence in politics.”

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