DMK president M.K. Stalin has appealed to voters of Tamil Nadu to throw out the AIADMK government, which is being “manoeuvered by the BJP at the Centre to execute its anti-Tamil agenda”.
Addressing a “Stalin in your constituency” meeting here on Saturday, he said the AIADMK could not take any decision on its own and was being controlled by the BJP, which was pushing all its anti-Tamil agenda in Tamil Nadu.
Though the Cabinet could pass resolutions against NEET, seek the release of seven Rajiv Gandhi assassination convicts and funds from the Union Government for the early establishment of AIIMS (All-India Institute of Medical Sciences) in Madurai, there was no progress as the BJP was controlling the government, he said.
“Mr. Palaniswami’s deputy [O. Panneerselvam] and the Ministers don’t respect the Chief Minister as they are not under his control. The entire government is under the BJP’s control,” Mr. Stalin said.
The DMK president said his party never wanted to utilise the commotion prevailing in the ruling AIADMK, after the demise of Jayalalithaa, to come to power. “Even though the DMK was getting feelers from the ruling party members, we were firm in our decision that the DMK should return to power only after getting the people’s mandate. We will win all the 234 Assembly segments with the overwhelming support of the people,” Mr. Stalin said.
He promised to bring in industrial investments to Kanniyakumari to provide employment opportunities to the skilled workforce.
“The Tamil Nadu Public Service Commission, which was created with the objective of providing employment to our youths, is giving employment to candidates from other States. Instead of bringing to book those involved in the recruitment scam, this government has arrested only drivers and lower-level employees, while sparing a big fish in the Department of Fisheries,” Mr. Stalin said.
The Opposition leader also vowed to revive and invigorate the 12,500-odd rural libraries created during the DMK regime between 2006 and 2011 to help rural youth preparing for competitive examinations. When a woman participant submitted a petition seeking his intervention to locate her husband who left for Saudi Arabia in 2013, Mr. Stalin assured her that he would initiate steps.
Later, he participated in a meeting held in Veeravanallur, Tirunelveli district.