Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam treasurer M.K. Stalin on Sunday said land-grabbing charges had surfaced against many AIADMK Ministers and asked why no action was initiated against them.
During his third day of campaign to seek votes for the party’s candidate, V. Maran, at Semmanatham on Yercaud hills, he said while Chief Minister Jayalalithaa had claimed that there were no land-grabbing cases in the State after she assumed power, media reports had pointed out that her own Ministers were caught in such cases.
“When land-grabbing complaints were lodged against former DMK Ministers or MLAs, they were arrested and we went to the court to seek justice. But now the AIADMK Ministers caught in land-grabbing cases are roaming freely and seen campaigning in the constituency,” he added.
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Earlier, Mr. Stalin began his campaign in Yercaud and covered more than 15 villages on the hills including Nagalur, Piliyur, Manjakuttai, Sengadu and Valavandi.
During the DMK regime, he said, Silver Oak trees raised in coffee plantations for shade were allowed to be pruned, cut and sold after a period of time and new saplings were planted. But the ban on the same by the present regime affected the livelihood of over 10,000 workers.
He said family card holders in the hilly areas were given 10 litres of kerosene during the DMK regime and people could visit ration shops on all days to buy provisions. Whereas only two litres of kerosene was being given now and people had to buy provisions only on a particular day or have to wait for the next turn, he said.
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Mr. Stalin also focussed on the infrastructure and road facilities created during the DMK regime. He blamed the current regime for not taking steps to resolve the stalemate over the wage revision of coffee plantation workers.