Hoping to win the Assembly polls for the third consecutive term, the AIADMK in its election manifesto released on Sunday evening promised among other things, 'Amma Washing Machine' for all, waiving of educational loans, 'Amma Banking Card,' 'MGR Green Auto' and 'Amma Housing Scheme'. It also said it would urge the Centre to reduce the fuel prices considerably.
As announced by Mr. Palaniswami earlier, the party promised cash assistance of ₹1,500 to the woman head of the family having ration cards, aimed at ensuring economic equality for women. The assistance would be credited to the bank account of the woman head and there was no woman in the ration card, it would be credited to the man. It also reiterated former CM Jayalalithaa's promise that "a total prohibition on liquor would be implemented in phases."
The manifesto released by AIADMK coordinator O. Panneerselvam and co-coordinator Edappadi K. Palaniswami in the party office featured announcements on 163 different topics. The ruling party promised to expand the nutritious meals scheme to students of Class 9, 10, 11 and 12. It also promised to expand the breakfast scheme presently being implemented with private support.
A 50% subsidy in bus fare for women in city buses, extending the maternity leave for women from the existing nine months to a year, were among the announcements aimed at women in the electorate. It also promised supply of 200 ml of milk/milk powder to all school students. It also promised a Metro Rail project for Madurai.
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It also promised to deliver ration supplies at the doorstep, besides the announcement of Mr. Palaniswami earlier that every ration cardholder would get six gas cylinders annually. Farmers would get ₹7,500 farm subsidy, all rice ration cardholders would get solar stoves, it promised.
"If a family did not have a member in the government service, one of them would be provided a government job," the manifesto promised. The social security assistance given to the elderly and women would be increased from ₹1,000 to ₹2,000.
'Amma Seervarisai', assistance for poor couples would be given for their wedding, it promised. All ration cards would get a free cable TV connection. "The AIADMK would insist on a State-level exam instead of centralised exam in Tamil Nadu for recruiting employees and providing employment," it promised.
The AIADMK, which ruled the State for the past 10 years, promised that it would insist the Centre to declare Tamil as one of the administrative languages. It also promised to make Tamil a mandatory subject for school students till Class 10. It also promised to increase the age limit for joining the government service by two years and also promised to grant weekly off on a rotation-basis for police personnel.
Citing the commission constituted by the AIADMK government to gather information over communities, the manifesto promised that the reservation would be implemented in educational and in job opportunities based on the recommendations of the panel.
‘Karunanidhi, Stalin responsible for Jayalalithaa's death’
Mr. Palaniswami on Sunday evening charged that late DMK leader and former CM M. Karunanidhi and DMK president M.K. Stalin were responsible for the death of former CM Jayalalithaa.
His comments were made in a press conference in the party head office. "The DMK is responsible for the death of Amma. God will definitely punish them. The people know who is responsible for her death."
A defamatory campaign was being undertaken, he contended and said: "The soul of Amma would definitely punish them. Amma was providing a good government to the people of Tamil Nadu. Though she was declared innocent in the courts, there was an appeal against her and it caused her agony following which she left this world in a situation where she could not receive appropriate treatment."
The general public knew that former CM Karunanidhi and Mr. Stalin were responsible for the death of Jayalalithaa, he charged.
Major promises in the AIADMK election manifesto
- College students would get 2 GB data card throughout the year
- A separate department in the government for the welfare of non-residential Tamils living abroad.
- o take steps to make Tamil an official language in the Madras High Court
- to insist the Centre change the name of Madras High Court as Tamil Nadu High Court
- to continue to follow the two-language formula
- to take steps to declare Thirukkural as a national book
- to insist the Centre include Tamil as a medium in all Central government recruitment exam
- to continue to insist the Centre release all seven convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case.
- to urge the Centre to insist the United Nations ensure equal rights for Tamils living in Sri Lanka
- to urge the Centre for dual citizenship and residential permit for Sri Lankan Tamil refugees living in India.
- to grant electricity connections for all farmers who have applied for farm electricity connection
- to set up a State Agriculture Commission
- to set up a research institution for organic farming which would be named after Nammalvar
- to implement Chief Minister-Farmer Bank Scheme for lending farm machinery to farmers
- to set up a world-class animal husbandry park in southern Tamil Nadu
- to insist on the Centre increase the man-days in the MGNREGA from the existing 100 days to 150 days.
- to determine the calculation of power tariff for customers every month, which was earlier once in two months
- to implement a cancer treatment scheme for the poor to be named after late oncologist V. Shanta
- to expand the Gold Plan of Amma Master Health Check-up to all district and medical colleges
- to set up fertility centres across the State to benefit the poor and the downtrodden
- to expand the Kavalan mobile phone-based app across the State
- to extend loans for members of the women self-help group
- to implement Amma Banking Card which would extend interest-less loans for the poor and the downtrodden
- to install CCTVs in all major cities across the State
- to waive outstanding debt in cooperative housing societies through one-time settlement.
- to name the Madurai airport after late leader Pasumpon Muthuramalinga Thevar
- to insist the Centre revoke the Constitutional Amendment Act, 2019 enacted by the Centre
- to insist the Centre shift education from the Concurrent List to the State List in the Constitution
- to set up a university which would be named after late leader Quaid-e-Millath
- to increase the subsidy given for Hindu, Muslim and Christian pilgrims going to Haridwar, Hajj and Jerusalem respectively.
- to allocate burial grounds for those belonging to minority communities
- to restore old temples that may need renovation too
- to expand the free meals schemes being implemented in temples
- to set up homes for the elderly and children
- to waive loans provided for beneficiaries through TAHDCO
- to include those communities whose names were left out in the list of Scheduled Tribes such as Badagas, Kuruvikaarars, Lambadis, Vettaikaarars, Narikkuravars
- to set up Tamil Nadu Commission for the Tribes
- to continue the legal battle to reiterate Kachchatheevu islet ceded to Sri Lanka
- to increase the free electricity to power looms from the existing 750 units to 1,000 units
- to take steps to control the prices of yarn for the benefit of weavers
- to insist the Centre exempt handlooms from the GST regime
- to extend a microloan of Rs. 10,000 for daily wage labourers in unorganised sectors
- to set up a single-window system to lend start-up loans to young entrepreneurs
- to grant preference for locals in private companies and factories in Tamil Nadu
- to determine the salary structure for teachers in private schools
- to set up a Mini IT Park in every district
- to insist the Centre exempt silver jewellery from the GST regime
- to lay ring roads around all Municipal Corporations
- to expand the Chennai Metro project
- to take steps to implement the Cauvery-Godavari river linking project at once
- to initiate steps to increase the height of Mullaiperiyar dam to 152 feet
- to implement the Anamalaiyar-Nallar, Pandiyar-Punnampuzha project soon
- to insist the Centre to set up a Supreme Court bench in Chennai
- to set up a welfare board for the benefit of Boyars in Tamil Nadu
- to install busts for yesteryear actor N.S. Krishnan, to install busts with manimandapams for scholar Navalar Nedunchezhiyan, Tamil scholar Maraimalai Adigal, linguist Devaneya Pavanar
- to grant subsidy for MSMEs to encourage them to produce solar power themselves
