NE NEWS SERVICE
CHENNAI, MAR 8
Seeking to punch holes in DMK’s vision document, the BJP in Tamil Nadu on Monday claimed several assurances mirrored programmes being implemented by the Narendra Modi-led NDA government and dared the Dravidian party to rework it and promise to rid the state of dynastic politics.
Mocking at DMK president M K Stalin over the ten-year vision document that would be implemented if his party was voted to power in the April 6 assembly elections, BJP state chief L Murugan asked whether the DMK would assure a Scheduled Caste member would be made the Chief Minister if it won.
A day after Stalin released the document focusing on seven key areas for the state’s growth at a packed DMK rally in Tiruchirappalli, the BJP leader posed as many questions to the former.
“My seven questions for Stalin also include will he redraft the promises and assure to end dynasty politics, not to grab lands of farmers and to eliminate corruption,” Murugan told reporters here, in an apparent reference to charges faced by the DMK.
Referring to the seven promises including provision of concrete houses and piped water supply, he said similar schemes were already being implemented by the Centre.
“One should learn from Stalin and his DMK on how to deceive people by announcing the schemes of the BJP government,” Murugan said. He pointed to the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, providing affordable housing to the poor, the Jal Jeevan mission which has provided 26 lakh households with free drinking water supply and the Smart City project. “Also, Stalin talks about providing broadband connectivity. The BJP-led government has gone beyond. It is now involved in providing fiber net connection,” he said.
On the vision document’s assurances on social justice such as eradicating manual scavenging and doubling scholarship to oppressed classes students, the BJP leader claimed Stalin had no locus standi to talk about it.
“Will Stalin assure that a Scheduled Caste member would be made the chief minister if the party wins in the coming elections. Or will he at least make an SC or ST to head the party?,” Murugan who hails from the SC community asked.
“He speaks about helping the SC T students. I wish to remind that the central government has allotted Rs 66,000 crore towards post matric scholarship for the SC/ST students. The Union Budget has also earmarked Rs 1.25 lakh crore to eliminate manual scavenging,” the BJP leader said.
On the DMKs promise to double the farmers’ income, Murugan said the Kisan Sammann Nidhi, being implemented by the Centre, provided minimum income support of Rs 6,000 to all farmers.
The centre also ensured farm sector reform laws to empower the ryots. “After opposing the farm laws and staging agitations, he talks about doubling the farmers income. This shows his duplicity,” Murugan alleged.
He also listed central schemes for women welfare such as free LPG connections and construction of toilets. Murugan sought to know if Stalin was able to fulfill the DMK’s earlier poll assurance of giving two acres land to farmhands. On the DMK leaders promise to provide a monetary aid of Rs 1,000 to women family heads in Tamil Nadu, he said “Lets wait and see how he is going to deliver.”
The 10-year plan will lift one crore people out of poverty in the next decade, Stalin had said. The documents touched upon seven areas of economy, agriculture, water management, education, health and sanitation, infrastructure and social justice.
