M.K. Stalin had assured several freebies, cash doles, welfare schemes, and projects during the March electioneering and in the election manifesto. A few of the 504 items mentioned in the DMK manifesto and a few he made during election meetings are listed here:
* Abolition of NEET in the first session of the Assembly
* Rs. 1,000/PM for every housewife in the ration card in the state
* Reduction of Rs. 5 & Rs. 4 per litre of petrol & diesel
* Rs. 100/ refill subsidy on cooking gas
* Increase of old age pension to Rs.1,500/PM
* Increase cash subsistence to Rs. 8,000/PM for fishermen during fishing ban period.
* Rs. 8,000/PM for salt pan workers during monsoon days
* Waiver of students’ education loan and gold loans.
* Patta to those on lease in temple lands.
* Rs. 1 crore to police personnel who die on duty.
* Redressal of grievances (in the petitions received by Stalin during his Your Constituency tour during elections 2021) within first 100 days in office
The party assured in the concluding paragraph of the manifesto that it is aware of Rs 6 lakh crore and Rs. 3 lakh crore debt of TN Government and the state run PSUs, which will never affect implementation of its poll promises.
Now, nearly two months in office, hardly any visible action has been taken for implementation of the promises. But the finance minster has said the state finances are in very bad shape and so fuel prices can’t be reduced. He further said such reduction will only benefit the Central Govt. To a peressperson’s query regarding the promise of Rs. 1,000/PM to housewives, he evaded answering by craftily quipping “have we give any date of implementation?”. He further said he will bring out a “ White Paper” on the health of state finance. The Govt constituted a Five Member committee including economists of world renown as well as a Nobel Laureate to study and suggest measures for the recovery of the economy.
The state govt constituted a panel headed by retired CJI of Delhi HC to study the effect of NEET and suggest an alternative. The Madras HC has pulled up the Govt for not taking leave from the SC. The HR&CE minster has been making contradictory statements every other day on the issue of patta to lessee.
On Centre-State relations, the DMK manifesto said it will initiate debate on the reports of 1969 Justice Rajamannar Committee set up TN Govt, 1983 Justice Sarkaria Committee, 2003 Justice Venkatachlaiah committee and 2007 Justice Punj committee; that it will bring necessary bills/amendments to achieve state autonomy. But DMK was an ally in National Front, NDA and UPA govts holding plum portfolios from 1996 to 2014. During all those 28 years it never pushed this agenda. In fact, the then DMK Chief and TN Chief minister used to claim he had the remote control of the UPA govt of Dr. Manmohan Singh. During those years, DMK has not raised state autonomy or Hindi or NEET or Jallikaatu or Koodankulam Nuclear power plant or hydrocarbon projects or Kavery or any other inter-state water issue for that matter.
In June 2021 Stalin wrote letters to all 9 CMs of coastal states regarding the new legislation on the development/management of minor ports claiming it as “ infringement “ of state powers, whereas the proposed bill gives additional powers to states.
The “ Ondriya Arasu” and Jai Hind controversies should be looked as isolated, but in conjunction with the of the manifesto, wherein the DMK raised the issue of autonomy citing earlier commissions/committees. But on poll promises involving financial allocation, the party drags its feet. Why? Has Stalin bitten more than he could swallow on poll promises? Has the Govt lost its direction?
