Leader of the Opposition and AIADMK co-coordinator Edappadi K. Palaniswami said the DMK leads in deceiving people, and it has not fulfilled the election promises after coming to power.
Campaigning for the AIADMK in Salem for the urban local bodies elections, he urged people to be cautious about the DMK.
The DMK had failed to honour promises such as the cash incentive for women, gas cylinder subsidy and reduction in the fuel prices, he said.
‘No wage increase’
Mr. Palaniswami said the DMK came to power for its own benefit and not to serve people and accused the party of failure to introduce the 100-day work scheme in town panchayats and to increase wages under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, as promised in its Assembly election manifesto. He said only 13 lakh people would benefit from the gold loan waiver scheme of the DMK government and 35 lakh who had taken loans did not benefit.
‘People cheated’
Stating the the DMK government had cheated people on abolishing NEET, he said the test was introduced by the Congress-led government, comprising the DMK, at the Centre in 2010. It was the AIADMK government that introduced 7.5% internal reservation for government school students to help the poor pursue their dream of becoming doctors, he said. Approximately 541 students had been selected for MBBS and BDS. The State government would pay their fees.
Stating that no one would forget the Pongal gift hampers given away by the DMK government, Mr. Palaniswami said the items were of poor quality and adulterated.
He said the gift hampers were not distributed for the welfare of people but for the DMK to loot.
He said the local bodies elections were conducted democratically whenever the AIADMK was in power, but the DMK was burying democratic practices.
