TIRUCHY: Tapping into the popularity of late party leader and former chief minister J Jayalalithaa, women members of the AIADMK’s Tiruchy south district unit have commenced door-to-door campaigning, highlighting to residents the women-centric schemes implemented during her regime and how the DMK “scrapped” them. The party functionaries are also trying to win over those women left out of the ambit of the DMK regime’s monthly honorarium scheme by mentioning how they have been “betrayed”.
Suriyur Raja of the AIADMK’s traders’ wing, who has been appointed coordinator for the poll campaign, said, “Our women members are entrusted with the task of meeting female voters. Seven women organisers have been chosen to lead the campaign. Each of them has 10 functionaries and their task is to reach out to female voters.”
Saru Mathi, AIADMK ward councillor of Thuvakudi municipality, said, “Our focus is to remind the women voters the legacy of our Amma and her achievements during her tenure as CM. We inform people how the DMK has failed to fulfil the promise of securing financial assistance for all women. Further, our team tell voters how important schemes such as the ‘Thalikku Thangam’ and the free cattle scheme for women during Amma’s reign were scrapped by the DMK government.”
Pointing out that Thuvakudi falling under Tiruverumbur alone has 16,000 women voters, a local AIADMK booth committee member shared hope that such “personalised” approach “works better, as they confide in us the issues they face.”
While admitting that several women AIADMK members receive the monthly honorarium of Rs 1,000 under Kalaignar Mahalir Urimai Thogai Thittam, Subtra Devi of Tiruverumbur, who heads a group under the campaign, said, “Did MK Stalin ever state that only eligible women would get the money (under the scheme)? That’s why many women here feel betrayed.”