CHENNAI: Referring to the percentage of women employed and those pursuing higher education in Tamil Nadu, Natural Resources Minister S Regupathy asserted that the women in Tamil Nadu are safe compared to the previous regime.
Speaking to reporters at Anna Arivalayam in Chennai, he said that the people are afraid to even file FIRs in BJP-ruled states.
“In Tamil Nadu, the registration of complaints itself reflects awareness and safety of women. The fact that 42% of the state’s women are employed and 52% of them pursue higher education demonstrates the level of safety here. This must be compared with the Pollachi incident during the previous regime where complaints were not even registered,” Regupathy told reporters.
The minister also blamed the BJP-led central government for not preventing the cannabis circulation in Tamil Nadu.
“Cannabis is not cultivated in Tamil Nadu, it is brought in from other states. Preventing that is the responsibility of the centre’s narcotics control agencies. Nevertheless, the Tamil Nadu government is taking strict action to curb it. Regardless of who the offenders are, Chief Minister M K Stalin will not hesitate to take strong action against them,” Regupathy said.
Responding to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s accusation that the current DMK regime is anti-farmer, minister Regupathi said that the DMK government has allocated Rs 1.94 lakh crore to the agriculture sector for farmers’ welfare and agricultural development.
“The chief minister promised to raise the Minimum Support Price for paddy procurement to Rs 2,500 per quintal, and the government fulfilled that promise. But what did PM Modi do? He brought in three farm laws that would destroy agriculture, attempting to strike at their livelihoods. Farmers who protested demanding these laws be repealed and an MSP be guaranteed were met with brutal repression,” he added.