Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa on Sunday launched a broadside against DMK chief Karunanidhi on the issue of reservation for Muslims and said the demand to raise the existing sub-quota of 3.5 per cent in the State had been forwarded to the State Minorities Welfare Commission. At an election meeting here, she rubbished Karunanidhi’s claim that it was his government that had first offered reservation to Muslims.
She sought to brush up his memory by pointing out that it was her government in 2006 that had empowered the State Minorities Welfare Commission to recommend reservations.
The AIADMK government was the only one which had given drought relief funds to farmers and wiped their tears, the party supremo further said.
Extending support to the party’s Kanyakumari candidate, John Thangam, Jayalalithaa addressed the meeting at exhibition grounds near S T Hindu College in the town. In her 45-minute speech, the CM slammed the Congress-led UPA government and the DMK as “anti-people and anti-Tamil”.
She added that under the AIADMK, the State achieved a new record in agricultural production in 2011-12 and won a prize from the Centre.
“Last year, a total of 20,90,000 drought-hit farmers were given over Rs 1,300 for drought relief. Apart from TN, no other State in the country nor the Centre had given drought relief funds to farmers,” she said.
The Chief Minister went on to list various public welfare schemes implemented by her government, particularly in the education sector.
To improve higher education, the government had started four new engineering colleges, 11 polytechnics and 36 Arts and Science colleges, she said, adding that the education infrastructure was being developed at an estimated Rs100 crore.