Loaded with freebies, including free refrigerator and one-time cash dole of Rs 10,000 for every household as well as waiver of educational loans, the principal Opposition party AIADMK released its manifesto, comprising 297 promises, in a bid to wrest power from the ruling DMK in the April 23 Tamil Nadu Assembly election.
Releasing the manifesto to the media, AIADMK general secretary and the NDA’s chief ministerial face, Edappadi K Palaniswami (EPS) on Tuesday, on the eve of kickstarting the party’s election campaign, said, “Free refrigerator will be provided to rice family card holders to reduce the workload of homemakers.”
Having announced poll pledges in two installments, the final manifesto includes the promises made earlier. If voted to power, the party promises to waive all educational loans, provide a one-time cash dole of Rs 10,000 to every rice card holding family to tide over inflationary pressure, monthly Rs 2000 to women family heads, under the ‘Kula Vilakku Scheme’. Further, EPS said the homeless in the rural hinterland will be provided free houses under the ‘Amma Illam Scheme’ and multistorey apartments for those in the urban areas, and the current free bus travel will be extended to men as well.
The AIADMK leader made it clear that the party-led government would press the Union government to extend additional financial devolution in tune with the emerging situation. Drawing attention to the fact that the allocation to Tamil Nadu has been gradually reduced after the 12th Finance Commission, he said the party had been persistent in its demand for structuring financial devolution in a manner which does not adversely affect developed states like Tamil Nadu. “Our stance remains that taxes like cess and surcharge must be included in the divisible pool and shared with the states,” he said.
On delimitation of constituencies, EPS said the AIADMK would ensure that Tamil Nadu’s current representation is not reduced in the exercise and strive to bring back education and other subjects to the State List from the concurrent list of the Constitution.