Tamil Nadu assembly polls: DMK’s Stalin targets 200 seats, attacks BJP’s ‘weaponised’ women’s quota pitch | India News
New Delhi: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin has expressed his optimism over the victory of the DMK-led alliance in the state assembly elections. He claimed that they would be able to secure more than 200 seats in the elections, while he also launched an attack on the BJP for trying to use the women’s quota as a “weapon” against the opposition. He also trained AIADMK chief Edappadi K Palaniswami, the Enforcement Directorate and gunnery at the Centre.Stalin said the secular progressive alliance, which includes the Congress, Left parties and the VC, would win the 234-member assembly and form the Dravidian Model 2.0 government. He claimed that public support for DMK has been strengthened by five years of governance and welfare measures. “People have reposed immense love and trust in my party, and with their support, SPA will win more than 200 seats and form the Dravidian Model 2.0 government,” he said.
Women quota row
The chief minister said the central government is not serious about implementing reservation for women and accused the BJP-led Center of trying to use it to counter the opposition before exercising restrictions. “The central government is not concerned about implementing reservation for women. If their concerns were genuine, they could have done so. Instead of doing so, the BJP-led Center is thinking of using it as a weapon to counter the opposition and exercise restrictions on the basis of population,” he said.He added that women’s reservation should be implemented immediately and not linked to restrictions. Stalin also said that Tamil Nadu was the first to raise its voice on the border issue, realizing that the state might be affected, and argued that states with successful population-control measures should not be penalised.
Attack on EPS
Stalin dismissed Palaniswami’s allegation that his family was a “power centre”, calling it fictitious and intended to divert attention from the DMK government’s record. He also hit out at the AIADMK chief for criticizing women’s safety and law and order, saying the Pollachi rape case remains a reminder of the previous government’s failure.He alleged that the AIADMK lacked ideology or principles and said that the Delhi BJP served as its headquarters. On demarcation, he accused Palaniswami of being “silent” and said the AIADMK leader was effectively endorsing the BJP’s position.
ED and welfare claims
Stalin described TASMAC and the ED’s actions in the sand-mining case as a “centrally engineered, ED-created drama” and accused the agency of “servants”. He said the alleged TASMAC scam and illegal sand mining incidents were politically scripted.He also defended his government’s welfare schemes, saying women’s monthly entitlement of Rs 1,000 and the breakfast scheme for schoolchildren were among the initiatives closest to his heart. He said the women’s rights scheme would be increased to Rs 2,000 in the next term, while the breakfast program would be extended to class 8.This comes in the run-up to the Tamil Nadu assembly elections on April 23, with counting scheduled for May 4. Stalin said the DMK-led alliance was strong from 2019 and would perform well in Puducherry as well, where polling was held on April 9.
