The DMK and its ally, the Congress, are not on the same page on several key issues promised for the April 18 Parliamentary election.
Congress president Rahul gandhi with DMK president MK Stalin
Chennai:
In fact, the very first poll promise of the DMK was the diametrically opposite to the stand of the Congress party.
DMK president MK Stalin had announced that his party would urge that the Governor of a particular State be appointed by the President from the list of three eminent persons suggested by the respective State’s Chief Minister. In the same breath, the DMK, which was the victim of Article 356 twice, has proposed the scrapping of the provision.
“Continuing such a draconian provision not found in any other federal systems brings discredit to India, the largest democracy in the world,” the DMK manifesto said.
Harping on one of its favourite subjects ‘Federalism’, the DMK has proposed to work for setting up “regional council of state” to provide a political platform for seeking solutions application across a group of states.
Dedicating a good portion of the manifesto to language policy, the DMK has guaranteed to urge the Centre to declare Tamil as also an official language in all Central government offices, institutions and nationalised commercial banks in Tamil Nadu, and also to accept Tamil as the court language of the Madras High Court.
Reservation, another core ideology of the DMK, was given a decent quota in the manifesto with the principal opposition party suggesting that reservation of the appointment of eligible and qualified people belong to SC/ST and OBCs as judges in all the courts-starting from subordinate courts to High Courts/ Supreme Courts-should be made without delay.
Sparing a thought on the Tamil Eelam issue, which was not an election decider even during the last leg of the civil war in Lanka in 2009, the DMK said that it would continue to persuade the Government of India to urge the UN, UNHRC and other UN member countries to undertake an independent and credible international probe into the human rights violations, war crimes and genocide in Sri Lanka.
OTHER PROMISES
- 60% of total tax revenue of Centre should be shared with States
- A high-level committee to study and report on the use of firecrackers to protect the industry
- Road worker job for of 1 crore with Class X qualification
- Rs 50,000 interest-free loan to rural BPL women
- Scrapping of Chennai-Salem corridor. Will insist widening of all existing highways between two cities
- Will seek compensation to families of victims who died in queues for changing demonetised notes
- Rollback of hiked cable TV charges
- Increase exemption limit from Rs 2.5 lakh to Rs 8 lakh and the limit of concessions under 80 (G) should be doubled to Rs 3 lakh
- Will urge Centre to implement SC order on increase Mullaiperiyar dam to 152ft and stoutly oppose Mekadatu project.
Assembly bypoll manifesto
- Andipatty – IT park Harur - 4-lane road linking D’puri and Harur
- Manamadurai – Full-fledged implementation of Ramnad combined drinking water project
- Periyakulam – Vavvalthurai dam would be constructed in Kumbakarai falls
- Gudiyatham – Steps to cover left out areas under Hogenakkal combined drinking water scheme
- Pappireddipatti – Dharmapuri coop sugar mill will be upgraded
- Paramakudi – Ramnad-Trichy NH and Ramnad-Thoothukudi roads would be made 4-lane.
- Perambur – UGD facility to be introduced
- Sholingur -Rope care project for temple
- Tiruporur – 3 flyovers at OMR-ECR intersections
- Poonamallee – UGD to be implemented
- Thanjavur – Science Centre at Thanjavur
- Nilakottai – GH to be upgraded with trauma care
- Ambur – Ring road and bypass in the constituency
- Sattur – New drinking water project
- Vilathikulam – Potable drinking water and road facility to all villages.
- Tiruvarur – Oragnic fertiliser factory Hosur – Trade centre