Lok Sabha elections in Tamil Nadu: Help us script new history, say EPS, OPS

Taking pride in administering the state for three decades in its 46 years of existence, the AIADMK on Tuesday made a fervent appeal to the electorate to vote for the mega alliance to script a new history. The ruling camp has stitched together a mega alliance of seven parties and caste outfits to face the general elections and the bypolls to the 22 assembly seats.

As the campaign came to a close, chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami and his deputy, O Panneerselvam chose an epistle to reach out to the partymen and public with a list of achievements of the three-year-old AIADMK regime and that of the Modi government at the Centre. “There is overwhelming support for us across the state,” the leaders said in the joint statement. They went on to detail how Tamil Nadu was transformed from a power-deficit to a power-surplus state, how the government ended methane crisis, reclaimed jallikattu rights, banned plastic and extended cash dole for Pongal and poverty eradication. The AIADMK government has claimed huge food grain production in the last few years and said rapid strides have been made in tourism and dairy development. Its social welfare schemes had come in for appreciation from other states, the statement said.

The AIADMK leadership credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi for introducing a host of flagship programmes like open defecation-free India, improved road infrastructure, electrified villages and GST and ensuring a corruption-free government. The government also did not take loans from any external agency. “The entire state has taken a vow to vote for Modi’s good governance on April 18,” the leaders said, who shared stage with the BJP leadership for poll rallies in eight districts. Both had carried out extensive campaigns for a month, batting for Modi’s strong and able leadership.

Requesting the cadres to maintain vigil on the poll day to pre-empt the opponents from resorting to diversionary tactics, the leaders said the move would fetch all 40 seats and 22 bypoll seats. “Amma had made only one request to us and that was the AIADMK should rule the state for a century after her. Let us sacrifice our life to realize her request,” they said. In a similar statement last week, the leaders had alleged that the poll surveys were a massive plot of the rival DMK to intimidate the cadres and divert the determined electorate from casting votes in favour of the ruling party led front.