'One Nation, One Election', CAA in crosshairs of DMK Lok Sabha manifesto

The ruling party DMK in Tamil Nadu has released its manifesto for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

chennai:

Commitments made by Tamil Nadu’s ruling party Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections include a pledge to abolish “one nation, one election” and abolish the “Citizenship Law”. Status Amendment Act (CAA) and simultaneously granting Indian citizenship to returning Sri Lankan Tamils.

The DMK is part of the Congress-led India Bloc, which was formed in June last year to prevent Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bharatiya Janata Party from being re-elected for a third consecutive term.

The DMK has also vowed to cancel NEET (National Entrance Examination), which is conducted for admission to medical courses across India. Tamil Nadu is a fierce critic of NEET.

Read | Tamil Nadu files case in Supreme Court challenging NEET legality

In February last year, the state filed a lawsuit in the Supreme Court, claiming that the single-window unified examination violated federal principles because it deprived states of their decision-making ability in education.

Released by Chief Minister Stalin and senior leaders including Thoothukudi MP Kanimozhi, the DMK has laid out a strong agenda to review the BJP’s “anti-people laws”, including the National Education Policy, which It was heavily criticized for forcing Hindi on students. Southern States.

Chief Minister says: ‘People’s manifesto’

“DMK continues to practice what it preaches…this is what our leaders have taught us. We are traveling across the state to listen to the people. This is not just a DMK manifesto…it is a manifesto of the people,” Mr. Stalin accused the BJP “Destroyed India” and failed to deliver on its promises.

The chief minister also criticized the prime minister who visited Tamil Nadu six times this year. Stalin said he would have been happier if the Prime Minister “came during the floods”.

Read | Indian PM holds massive rally in Tamil Nadu, targeting AIADMK stronghold

Mr Modi has been aggressively visiting southern states to boost the image of the Bharatiya Janata Party. The party’s influence in Tamil Nadu is negligible; in the last election, it received less than three percent of the vote.

Kanimozhi to NDTV

Kanimozhi, a DMK lawmaker nominated to defend the Thoothukudi seat, told NDTV that the focus of the manifesto was on protecting the federal character of the country – an issue also frequently raised by Bengal’s Trinamool, another Indian bloc member, as well as the state government’s right.

“Our promise can be fulfilled if the Indian bloc forms the government (at the Centre),” she said, expressing her gratitude to the DMK for reappointing her to the Thuthukudi seat.

Read | Congress-DMK seals Tamil Nadu deal, Kamal Haasan guest stars

The DMK today also announced its first list of candidates for the 21 seats it will contest; Tamil Nadu has 39 Lok Sabha seats. The remainder will be allocated to Congress and smaller parties in the same allocation as in 2019. Five years ago, the DMK-Congress combine swept the state, winning 38 seats.

“We have seen how much the Dravidian model of government has done for the people of this state and this manifesto will help us take our Dravidian model across India. I am sure that not only will Tamil Nadu get all Seats and still get a good seat.’ And the same number across the country…” Kanimozhe said.

DMK Lok Sabha Declaration Details

Other major promises made by the DMK include slashing petrol, diesel and LPG (cooking gas) prices to Rs 75 and Rs 65 per liter and Rs 500 per bottle, free Wi-Fi services across the state, Puducherry statehood , repeal the Uniform Civil Code and immediately reserve 33% of seats for women in Congress and state legislatures.

The manifesto also focuses on student and women empowerment, promising interest-free loans of up to Rs 4 lakh to students and up to Rs 10 lakh to women’s self-help groups.

Read | No UCC; Chief minister approves governor: DMK manifesto

The DMK said a large number of central government-supported research and higher education institutions, including IITs and IITs, will be set up in the state and college students will get 1GB of mobile data for free.

An important point is that there is a two-year “cooling off” period for judges who wish to join private companies or political parties after retirement. This view is seen in the backdrop of former Bengal High Court judge Abhijit Gangopadhyay resigning a few days later and joining the Bharatiya Janata Party.

Read | Court reprimands Tamil Nadu governor for sending bill to President

Also important is a commitment to review the gubernatorial appointment process and remove any immunity given to these positions. This is critical as the Tamil Nadu government has been locked in a bitter battle with governors over the past few years, accusing the Center’s representatives of interfering in state governance and deliberately refusing to approve key bills.