'DMK manifesto full of false promises,' says TN Minister; claims 'EPS wave' ahead of polls

Reacting to DMK's manifesto for the Tamil Nadu Assembly Elections, the state's Municipal Administration Minister SP Velumani on Saturday said that the manifesto is 'hollow and full of false promises'. Downplaying DMK's promises, Velumani confidently asserted that the AIADMK manifesto would be the real 'hero' in the polls, adding that CM E Palaniswami had already given a hint of it. 

Exuding confidence in return of AIADMK to power, Velumani claimed that there is a 'Palaniswami wave' sweeping across Tamil Nadu. 

DMK chief MK Stalin unveiled the party's manifesto for the upcoming polls on Saturday morning as he eyes his maiden term as Tamil Nadu CM. Revealing the manifesto at DMK's headquarters in Chennai, party supremo MK Stalin promised to introduce legislation in the Tamil Nadu Assembly to ban NEET exams, among other vows once elected to power. Stalin revealed that the party had prepared the manifesto, comprising of over 500 promises, after deliberations and discussions. 

DMK's manifesto promised to push the Centre to give national recognition to Thiruvalluvar's Tirukurral. The party promised to set up a separate bench to probe into the corruption charges against the AIADMK ministers and reiterated Stalin's promise to resolve grievances of the people of Tamil Nadu within 100 days of being elected to power under the campaign 'Ungal Thoguthiyil Stalin'.

Dismissing DMK's manifesto, CM E Palniswami said that the AIADMK had already delivered the promises made by MK Stalin ahead of the polls. Dismissing DMK's '200+ prediction' and several pre-election opinion polls, he said that AIADMK had proved them wrong in 2016, by-polls and will continue to do so. The 234-seat Tamil Nadu Assembly is set to go to polls on April 6, with results to be declared on May 2.

"They have just now released it officially. (Farm waiver) not an election manifesto, our govt did what people expected before all. Ours is the only govt that announced loan waiver and implemented it immediately," EPS said on Saturday. 

Tamil Nadu Assembly elections

The TN elections will be held on April 6 and the result will be declared on May 2. The two warring factions in AIADMK - of Deputy CM O Pannerselvam (OPS) and CM E Palaniswamy (EPS), reconciled after the party named incumbent E Palaniswamy as its CM candidate and O Panneerselvam as the chief of the 11-member steering committee. He has also announced a slew of social measures like Pongal gift hampers, farm loan waiver, free COVID-19 vaccines, passing school students, etc which has been slammed by DMK M K Stalin calling it 'pre-poll appeasement'.  Meanwhile, ex-CM Karunanidhi's successor - DMK chief MK Stalin eyes his maiden CM term as DMK cannot afford to lose a third straight Assembly election after sweeping the state in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls with 38 seats. 

(With PTI Inputs)