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VK Sasikala, General Secretary of the AIPTMMK (All India Puratchithalaivar Makkal Munnettra Kazhagam), campaigned in KK Nagar under the Tiruchirappalli East Assembly constituency, seeking votes for the party's candidate Nandakumar on Thursday.
Sasikala addressed the public and appealed for support for the party's "Coconut Grove" symbol. Speaking at the gathering, Sasikala said that the current election is crucial for addressing the real issues faced by the people of Tamil Nadu. She alleged that the ruling party had failed to fulfil even 50 out of its 560 election promises over the past five years. She further claimed that neither employment nor industrial opportunities had been adequately created. Criticising the government's welfare announcements, she said that offering tokens worth 8,000 by borrowing funds was not genuine welfare. "This is not earned money but borrowed funds being distributed. Such freebies are unnecessary," she said, adding that promises like 10,000 cash and free refrigerators were misleading tactics to deceive voters. Sasikala stated that the government was struggling financially, even to pay salaries to its employees, while continuing to make false claims. She pointed out that the state had borrowed around 12 lakh crore and was paying nearly 7,000 crore in interest. Pension liabilities alone amounted to 1.84 lakh crore, she added. She also highlighted losses in the power sector and expenditure of 36,000 crore annually on free electricity for farmers as signs of poor governance. The AIPTMMK Chief said that while the state budget stands at around 4 lakh crore, approximately 2.5 lakh crore is spent on essential needs, leaving limited scope for welfare schemes. "There is a lack of administrative efficiency," she alleged, criticising both former and current Chief Ministers for making unrealistic election promises. Sasikala mentioned that her party had announced 60 promises based on public feedback and assured that fulfilling them would improve people's standard of living. On rising debt, she warned that continuous borrowing would burden every citizen and questioned whether further loans would even be possible. "If implemented, the current promises would require an additional 10 lakh crore," she said, calling them impractical. She also spoke about the proposed Parliamentary constituency delimitation by the Union Government. Referring to past policies, she said that population control measures introduced during former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi's tenure were effectively implemented in Tamil Nadu but not in northern states. As a result, she expressed concern that Tamil Nadu might lose parliamentary representation in the upcoming delimitation process due to lower population growth. She noted that there were earlier 543 constituencies, and the Centre has proposed increasing them to 850. Based on previous calculations, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry together could get up to 62 seats, and she urged the Union Government to ensure fair allocation for states that effectively implemented population control measures. Highlighting local civic issues in Tiruchirappalli Corporation areas, Sasikala said that problems such as underground drainage, poor road infrastructure, and drinking water shortages remain unresolved. She alleged that unsafe drinking water has led to loss of lives. Further, she called for strict action against drug abuse, including ganja, to prevent youth from being affected. Questioning the credibility of the ruling government, she asked how it could be trusted to fulfill new promises when previous assurances remain unimplemented. (ANI)
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