CHENNAI: Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami on Wednesday asserted that the promises made in the AIADMK manifesto for the Lok Sabha elections would be fulfilled just as the State government honoured the promises made in the party manifesto for the 2016 Assembly elections.
Campaigning for the DMDK and AIADMK candidates in Kancheepuram and Tiruvallur districts, the CM highlighted the achievements of the AIADMK government during the past eight years and said the government would do more for the people in the coming years.
He recalled that through the kudimaramath scheme, over 3,200 lakes had been desilted and works on building check-dams at a cost of Rs 1,000 crore were going on to enrich the ground water table in many areas. These works would be completed in three years.
Countering the criticism of DMK president MK Stalin on the AIADMK forging an alliance with the BJP, Palaniswami said, “It is quite normal that each party would forge alliance with other parties. Like-minded parties have come together to form alliance and it is their wish. Stalin had levelled this charge, forgetting that DMK was part of the NDA years ago.”
He also charged that despite being part of power at the Centre for many years, the DMK had failed to bring any concrete scheme to Tamil Nadu and particularly, the DMK ignored the Cauvery issue at that time. “We have taken a conscious decision on forging alliance with other parties. There is no need for mortgaging our party to someone else,” he added.
Stating that the AIADMK government had extended assistance to the farmers to the tune of Rs 3,400 crore, the CM said the Cauvery-Godavari river linking project would be implemented. All the needy would be provided with multi-storey concrete houses.
The State government would ensure Tamil Nadu as a hutment-free State. Referring to the reported unlawful activities of the DMK functionaries in many places, Palaniswami appealed to the people to ponder over what would happen if the DMK came back to power in Tamil Nadu.
Candidates who gathered
AIADMK candidate for Chennai South parliamentary constituency J Jayavardhan, party’s Kancheepuram candidate Maragatham Kumaravel, Arumugam, candidate for by-election to the Thiruporur Assembly constituency and Vaithilingam, PMK candidate for Sriperumbudur seat, accompanied the CM
Poll snippets
Won’t support 7 convicts’ release: Subramanian Swamy
MADURAI: The BJP should have contested the elections without an alliance in Tamil Nadu, however the party will return to power with majority said senior BJP leader Subramanian Swamy on Wednesday. Swamy said that he did not want to campaign for the party as he did not like the policies now. Commenting on the announcement by Congress that 20% of the poorest families would annually be given Rs 72,000, Swamy quipped ‘from where will Rahul Gandhi take the money, banks?’ Swamy also said that he will never allow the Rajiv assassination convicts to come out of jail.
Modi failed to keep poll promises: Udhayanidhi Stalin
COIMBATORE/COONOOR: Continuing his campaign tour for the DMK-led alliance in the Nilgiris, actor Udhayanidhi Stalin on Wednesday accused PM Narendra Modi of “failing” to implement the poll promise to deposit Rs 15 lakh in the account of every citizen. He also charged Modi with failing to take steps to control the fuel prices. “The Modi government allowed oil companies to fix the fuel price without considering the people’s welfare. People were affected by demonetisation and small businesses were taken a hit after the introduction of GST,” he said, adding that the Centre was showing indifference towards closure of Hindustan Photo Films in Ooty.
BJP-AIADMK arm-twists others: TTV Dhinakaran
CHENNAI: AMMK deputy general secretary and RK Nagar MLA TTV Dhinakaran has branded the BJP-AIADMK tie-up as an ‘arm-twisting alliance’. Campaigning for party Chennai North candidate P Santhanakrishnan for the April 18 Lok Sabha elections at Kalmandapam in Royapuram on Wednesday, Dhinakaran said he had been put to daunting hardships by BJP-led Union government as he had refused to be their slave. “They (BJP-AIADMK) tried to eliminate us. Through legal battles, we have overcome conspiracies and got the common symbol for our 59 candidates contesting in the State and Puducherry. With people’s support, we will unseat the governments in the State and at the Centre,” he said.
