Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Saturday said he reposed faith in the wisdom of the people of Tamil Nadu – that they would vote the alliance, led by the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), to power in the April 13 Assembly elections and will not be misled by “false” promises from the rival camp.
Addressing a public meeting here, organised by the DMK, the Congress and the other constituents of the Democratic Progressive Alliance in the State, Dr. Singh said many far-sighted schemes implemented by the government headed by Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi had turned Tamil Nadu into a model State in many ways, especially in rural development and agrarian transformation.
If this trend is to continue, people must vote the DMK-Congress alliance. They must bear in mind the schemes that were born out of good relations between the DMK government in the State and the Congress-led government at the Centre.
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“During the last five years, the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government at the Centre and the DMK government in the State have worked hand-in-hand to take Tamil Nadu to new heights,” he said.
“Recently, I saw a report by a group of economists that ranked Tamil Nadu as the number one State of India. To take Tamil Nadu to even greater heights, I urge you to vote for the Congress-DMK alliance.”
Dr. Singh said that as in the case of the State gaining from good relations with the Centre, “My Government in New Delhi has greatly benefited from the cooperation extended by our allies in Tamil Nadu. We in the Congress party are proud that leaders from Tamil Nadu are taking our country forward.”
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Recalling the contributions to national development by various leaders from the State, such as C. Rajagopalachari, C. Subramaniam, K. Kamaraj and R. Venkataraman, Dr. Singh said, “Today, I am happy to extend our hand of friendship to Mr. Karunanidhi, who has been our ally in the United Progressive Alliance.”
“Our government is committed to improving the status of women. We have given reservation for women in Panchayati Raj. We are committed to giving reservation for women in the Lok Sabha also.”
Tirupur crisis
Touching upon the industrial status of Coimbatore region, the Prime Minister said his government was seized of the problem faced by dyeing units in Tirupur. A lasting solution would be found, he said.