MADURAI: DMK president M K Stalin was under the impression that he would capture power in the state through short-cuts after the demise of late chief minister J Jayalalithaa but we proved him wrong, said chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami. Campaigning at Paramakudi in Ramanathapuram on Saturday, he said Stalin did not believe in working hard and coming to power. “Only hard work can help people to reach higher levels, and we are working hard. Stalin’s dream of capturing power in Tamil Nadu will always remain a dream,’’ he said.
Ramanathapuram district is a drought-prone region, the reason why the AIADMK government is to implement the Rs 14,000crore Cauvery-Gundaru scheme in the district in a phased manner. He said tenders had been floated for the first two phases and the foundation stone would be laid soon. The long-term demand of seven sub-sects to be called Devendrakula Vellalar would soon become a reality due to the action taken by his government to fulfil the demand, said the chief minister.
“I constituted a committee headed by IAS officer Hansraj Varma in 2019 and the committee recommended that the seven sub-sects could be called Devandrakula Vellalar and the same has been forwarded to the central government for approval,’’ he said. The CM said he had also urged the Centre to expedite the process and it would become a reality soon.
“I am a farmer who knows agriculture well, my father used to always say that I can get people to work well in the fields only if I knew the job well. Hence I know what to cultivate in a season and how to tackle pests that attack crops,’’ he said adding that agriculture was something that made it important for farmers to toil through sunny and rainy days. This government is doing its best for farmers, he said.
Tamil Nadu leads in terms of the most number of students pursuing higher education. “The people are with us and any attempt to break the AIADMK will fail. They cannot touch a single AIADMK cadre,” he said. This government always works with the people’s welfare in mind, so we have announced the Rs 2,500 Pongal gift. “Celebrate Pongal, vote for AIADMK and reinstate us,” he said.