Ridiculing the DMK’s election promise of striving to contain the spiralling price hike, Chief Minister and AIADMK general secretary J Jayalalithaa on Sunday said octogenarian M Karunanidhi can’t wish away the burden of the past and hoodwink the people of Tamil Nadu anymore. The people, she said are witness to his unflinching support to all the anti-people measures of the Congress-led government at the Centre during the past 10 years.
“I appeal to reward the Congress and its erstwhile ally DMK with a crushing defeat in the LS poll as the party had been all along with the UPA in carrying out the anti-people measures like frequent hike in the prices of petrol and diesel, LPG gas cylinders and granting power to oil companies to fix fuel price,” the AIADMK chief said while campaigning for her party candidate K Kamaraj in Kallakurichi.
The frequent hike in oil prices and the lopsided economic policies of the Central government were the prime reasons for the spiralling prices of essential commodities, Jayalalithaa argued and faulted the UPA government for according powers to oil firms to raise fuel prices corresponding to the increase in the international markets, in June 2010.
“Karunanidhi was very close to the UPA government at that time and his party was part of the coalition government at the Centre. But he had failed to raise his voice against this. Later, when the Centre hiked the price of diesel provided to Tamil Nadu State-owned transport corporations manifold, he remained a mute spectator. Now, the DMK president promises measures to contain hike in the prices of essential commodities. Whom he is trying to hoodwink?,” Jayalalithaa asked.
Stating that the people of Tamil Nadu could not be hoodwinked anymore by the false promises of Karunanidhi, the AIADMK chief appealed to the people to give a deadly blow to the DMK. When she asked the gathering whether they would heed to her request, the response was a resounding ‘yes’.
Jayalalithaa also appealed to the people to defeat the Congress to the extent that all their candidates lose their deposit amount in the Lok Sabha elections. She also harped on the DMK’s role in the 2G spectrum scam, which bled the nation’s exchequer and contributed to the destabilisation of the economy.
Jayalalithaa said despite the lack of cooperation from the Centre, her government introduced several welfare schemes. “The State is now producing 2,500 MW more power, while work on another 3,300 MW power projects are in progress. That apart, plans are afoot to produce 5,500 MW. With this, Tamil Nadu will be a self-sufficient State in terms of power,” she added.
Works are on to construct a facility to store grains with a capacity 2,000 metric tonnes on the Kallakuruchi Integrated Market Committee premises. Funds have been allotted for improvements at the Kallakuruchi GH, she said.