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Chennai, Oct 29 (IANS) Chief Minister MK Stalin on Wednesday urged all political parties in Tamil Nadu to rise above political differences and participate in the all-party meeting called on November 2 to protest against the “democracy-disrupting” special intensive revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls by the Election Commission of India.
Addressing a large public gathering in Tenkasi, Stalin accused the BJP-led central government of “experimenting” the SIR exercise in Bihar before attempting to impose it on Tamil Nadu.
“This is a man-made disaster that threatens the very foundation of democracy,” he said. “I appeal to all opposition leaders, regardless of our political disagreements, to join hands and unite against this move.”
The Chief Minister said his government has successfully managed three major natural disasters since 2021 without any financial assistance from the Centre.
“Even though the central government refused to release our request of Rs 37,000 crore for disaster relief, Tamil Nadu has moved forward on its own and continues to provide development and welfare,” he said.
Stalin listed several achievements of his government, including early release of water from the Mettur dam every year since taking charge and opening direct procurement centers for paddy from September 1 to protect the livelihood of farmers.
“During the AIADMK regime, only 28.7 lakh tonnes of paddy was procured annually. Under DMK, we have procured an average of 42.61 lakh tonnes of paddy per year – a total of 1.7 crore tonnes in four years,” he said in a statement to AIADMK leader Edappadi K on lapses in paddy procurement. Rejecting Palaniswami’s recent allegations, he said.
He also assured that the government has made all arrangements to deal with the northeast monsoon in Chennai, with food, medicine and essential supplies available in relief camps.
During the Tenkasi programme, the Chief Minister distributed welfare benefits, inaugurated completed projects and laid the foundation stone of new projects – worth a total of Rs 1,021.17 crore.
Although expectations were high that Stalin would announce progress on union permission for the establishment of Tenkasi Medical College and Hospital, no such statement was made.
The Chief Minister ended his address with an appeal for unity: “Tamil Nadu has faced and recovered from many disasters. We will face this too – and protect both our people and our democracy.”
–IANS
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