Karunanidhi launches campaign with call to 'pack off' Jaya

Chennai, Apr 10 (UNI) Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) President M Karunanidhi today launched his campaign in his home turf - Chepauk, calling upon the people to 'pack home' the Jayalalithaa regime so that welfare schemes could be relaunched.

Travelling in an open jeep through lanes and by-lanes in the congested Chitradipet area, Mr Karunanidhi charged that a number of welfare schemes launched by the previous DMK government had been scrapped after the AIADMK came to power in 2001.

He said having the poor and the downtrodden in mind, he launched many welfare schemes like distribution of Rs 10,000 as marriage assistance for poor girls and financial assistance for pregnant women, only to be scrapped by the AIADMK government.

'Now, when I promise free colour television sets and rice at Rs two per kg, the ruling party and its allies are skeptical, saying that it is not possible,' he said and asserted that the DMK, if voted to power, would fulfill all the promises. 'If there is a will there is a way,' he added.

In an indirect reference to MDMK General Secretary Vaiko, who had asked whether the DMK would make available cable connection too free while distributing colour TVS, Mr Karunanidhi said the party would not mind providing free cable connection if it was necessary.

'When we give the cow free, can we not provide the rope to tie the milch animal?'' he asked amid cheers.

The DMK promises have gone down well with the people, if the response was any indication. The crowd cheered loudly whenever the DMK leader mentioned free TV and rice.

Mr Karunanidhi said when he promised to abolish hand rickshaw and announced the slum clearance scheme, similar scepticisms were expressed but he had proved them wrong, by abolishing hand-rickshaw and replacing the slums with multi-storeyed tenements. He assured that if the DMK came to power the party would distribute colour television sets to 53 lakh families in just two years. The party would also distribute free gas stoves, he said.

Alleging that the AIADMK government had tried in vain to distribute 55 lakh acres of fallow land to multi-nationals, landlords and rich people, he said if the DMK was voted back to power, it would develop the land and distribute two acres to every landless farmers free of cost.

Mr Karunanidhi said in the last five years, the AIADMK, besides scrapping the welfare schemes, had sacked about two lakh government employees when they launched a strike and dismissed more than 10,000 road workers, without acting any reason.

UNI