Kanimozhi,MP, said that the coming Lok Sabha polls were vital and accused the central government of ignoring suggestions of people….reports Asian Lite News
Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) leader K Kanimozhi on Monday attacked the BJP-led government, saying that small-scale sector is facing problems due to its policies and that the next government at Centre “should work for people and not in the name of religion”.
Kanimozhi,MP, said that the coming Lok Sabha polls were vital and accused the central government of ignoring suggestions of people. Lok Sabha elections are likely to take place in April-May this year.
“The upcoming election is important…Today, the BJP government at the Centre is slowly destroying all sectors and taking away our rights. The media has been captured today. GST has been introduced and small-scale industries have been facing problems,” Kanimozhi told reporters here.
“They are not taking care of whatever we are pinpointing and criticising. The next government formed at the Centre should be working for the people and not in the name of religion,” she added.
Last week, Kanimozhi unveiled plans for an extensive outreach programme aimed at shaping the party’s election manifesto.
“According to the instructions of our Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, we are going to meet the people, administrators, entrepreneurs, social activist groups, and farmers to understand their needs. Following this, a clear election manifesto will be prepared,” Kanimozhi said while speaking to reporters in Chennai.
“While preparing the election manifesto of DMK, we are going to meet the people, get the demands of the experts from each department, and prepare the election manifesto,” she added.
In the run-up to the Lok Sabha elections, an 11-member election manifesto preparation committee was constituted earlier in January this year, under the leadership of MP Kanimozhi.
Other members of the committee include ministers PDR Palanivel Thiagarajan, DRP Raja, TKS Ilangovan, AKS Vijayan, Kovi Chelishian, Rajeshkumar, Ezhilarasan, Abdullah, Ezhilan, and Mayor Priya.
In addition to the manifesto committee, DMK has formed a six-member committee tasked with coordinating and holding talks with its alliance parties under the leadership of MP TR Baalu.
The TR Baalu-led Alliance Coordination Committee includes ministers KN Nehru, Periaswamy, MRK Panneerselvam, Ponmudi, and A Raza. This committee is essential for ensuring effective collaboration and negotiation with the INDIA bloc parties during the electoral process. (ANI)
Tamil Maanila Congress firms up alliance with BJP
In its attempt to forge a non-DMK, non-AIADMK bloc for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, the BJP on Monday struck an alliance with the GK Vasan-led Tamil Maanila Congress (TMC) in Tamil Nadu, with the regional party expressing hope more organisations will join the NDA in the state.
The BJP state unit hailed Vasan and said his advice will be used in the coming days to guide the alliance.
TMC was launched by veteran leader, the late GK Moopanar in 1996 after he walked out of the Congress protesting against its decision to align with the AIADMK for polls. However, it merged with the Congress in 2002 but Vasan quit the national party in 2014 and revived it.
Addressing a press conference here, the former union minister said TMC, ever since the days of its founding by Moopanar, has had a “national outlook.” The decision to join hands with the BJP included issues like welfare of Tamil Nadu and Tamils and a strong and prosperous India.
“Today, economic growth and security of the nation is very important. Uplift of poor people is more important, infrastructure is very important. We are going to be the third economic power in the world. All this put together, TMC wants a government, a Prime Minister who can really achieve this,” he said and lauded the BJP and PM Narendra Modi for delivering in various sectors in the last decade.
“Tamil Maanila Congress, as part of NDA will face the coming elections under BJP’s leadership,” he said, adding he will attend PM Modi’s public meeting at Palladam in Tirupur district on Tuesday.
Vasan’s announcement marks the first official tie-up the BJP has managed to forge in Tamil Nadu ahead of the polls, amidst its attempts to create a grouping other than those headed by the ruling DMK and the AIADMK.
A part of the AIADMK-led NDA coalition in Tamil Nadu that faced the 2021 Assembly polls, Vasan’s announcement signals his party’s end of ties with the main opposition party in the state.
The Edappadi K Palaniswami-headed AIADMK had announced severing ties with the BJP in September 2023. Vasan also indicated that his party’s slogan ‘Prosperous Tamil Nadu, Strong India,” was in tune with the Centre’s various steps.
Asked about a ministerial berth for his party in the event of BJP ensuring a third term, Vasan said the “alliance with BJP under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji is for respectability, for mutual understanding and for the goal of achieveing a powerful India and a prosperous Taml Nadu.” Further, the alliance was based on trust, Vasan, who was Shipping minister in the Congress-led UPA II regime, said.
Tamil Nadu voters had witnessed BJP winning the two earlier elections (2014,1019) with good support from other states and want the saffron party to earn a third term to ensure economic development, betterment of the poor. They have ‘realised’ that another term under PM Modi will lead to economic prosperity and reduction in poverty, among others, Vasan added.