CHENNAI: In a political show of strength against Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s opposition to freebies, two leaders who strongly endorse comprehensive welfare schemes for the poor in the country, Chief Minister MK Stalin and his Delhi counterpart Arvind Kejriwal, will jointly launch the DMK government’s Puthumai Penn Thittam, 26 schools of excellence and 15 model schools in Tamil Nadu on September 5.
School Education Minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi on Tuesday met the Aam Aadmi Party chief in New Delhi to invite him for the event. The 26 schools of excellence and 15 model schools to be inaugurated by Kejriwal in Tamil Nadu are modeled after Delhi government’s two pioneering schemes.
Chief Minister Stalin, who visited the national capital in April, visited the Delhi model schools and schools of excellence along with Kejriwal. At the event on September 5, Stalin will launch the Pudhumai Penn scheme under which Rs 1,000 per month will be given to all government school girls pursuing higher education.
Confirming his visit, Kejriwal tweeted, “I thank Thiru MK Stalin for inviting me to Tamil Nadu next week. I am elated to join the people of Tamil Nadu in their journey towards an education revolution. We will together be launching three crucial projects on September 5.”
Kejriwal to visit Anna library
“After the inauguration of the schemes, the Delhi CM will visit Anna centenary library and interact with a few model school students. He will be then showed two short films about Illam Thedi Kalvi scheme and a library being built in Madurai in DMK patriarch Karunanidhi’s memorial,” Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi told TNIE.
The invitation also gained political significance as leaders from AAP and DMK were the major opponents of PM Modi’s comments against freebies. Leaders from both the parties had argued that welfare schemes are for social justice.