The DMK introduced several welfare measures for minorities and had been protecting their interests for a long time, said DMK treasurer MK Stalin on Monday.
Campaigning for party candidate Jagan Periyasamy at Kayalpatnam, which has a thick Muslim population, he claimed that the DMK government had initiated several welfare schemes aimed at the development of Muslims and had been working for their welfare for a long time. It was only under the DMK rule, Muslims were included under the Minorities list and were given 3.5 per cent reservation, the DMK leader claimed.
Further, if the public elected the party’s candidates, the DMK would also put pressure on the Central government to increase the reservation percentage for the Muslims, he promised.
Stalin said that when the DMK was in the UPA fold, it ensured that many stringent laws, including TADA and POTA, were repealed and several youth, who were wrongly confined under such draconian legislations were released from prison. Calling the 2012 amendment in the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act, made in 2012 ‘derogatory’, he assured that his party would demand the Central govt to repeal the amendment.
Addressing the electorate at Tiruchendur, he listed the welfare schemes implemented by the DMK regime in the past for Tiruchendur town.
In his speech at Seidhunganallur, the DMK treasurer claimed that when his party was in power, the bus fare was never increased despite crisis on various fronts. But now the bus fare has been raised.