AIADMK, MDMK, against concessions to poor: Karunanidhi

Chennai, Apr 17 (UNI) Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) President M Karunanidhi today alleged that the ruling AIADMK and its ally, the Marumalarchi DMK (MDMK), were against the distribution of free colour television sets and rice at Rs two per kg to the poor.

Talking to newspersons after filing nominations, he said the DMK firmly believed the havenots should be given colour TVs, cheap rice and free gas stoves and would fulfil the promise if it came to power.

Asked about MDMK General Secretary Vaiko's query if the DMK would provide free cooking gas too, Mr Karunanidhi said this showed they were against extending this kind of concession to the poor.

Objecting to Mr Vaiko ridiculing the promise to give two acre of land to landless farmers on the ground that enough land was not available, he said the MDMK manifesto promised two acre of land to 86.65 lakh landless farmers in the state. If each farmer was to be given two acre of land, it required 1.73 crore acre of land.

After Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa too said there was not enough wasteland, Mr Vaiko also mocked the promise, but he himself had made such a promise in his manifesto. The media should highlight this.

Asked if the DMK had began enumeration on provision of colour TVs, Mr Karunanidhi shot back 'Has the DMK come to power?.' A preliminary assessment was being made on households without TV.

Congress President Sonia Gandhi had said she would campaign in the state for two days, but dates had not been finalised. He would consult TNCC chief M Krishnasamy and decide on a joint poll meeting.

Asked if Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Wadhra would also campaign, he said he was yet to get a clear picture as to who all were coming.

On the MDMK's continuance in the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) at the Centre even after severing ties with the DMK, the refused to comment, saying he had already expressed his views.

On the move to shift City Police Commissioner R Nataraj, he would only say, 'it is yet another confusion among many confusions.' UNI WS AA RL RAI1703