Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and AIADMK supremo J Jayalalithaa on Saturday declared that if voted again to power, she would take steps to make Tamil Nadu liquor-free. “I dream a Tamil Nadu free of liquor. But it is not possible and practical to bring in total prohibition at one go. It could be done only in phases,” said Jayalalithaa while launching the campaign for the 2016 Assembly election scheduled for May 16.
Addressing a mammoth rally at Chennai on Saturday evening, Amma, as she is addressed by the cadre, lambasted DMK chief and her bête noire M Karunanidhi for making the people of Tamil Nadu addicted to liquor.
“Tamil Nadu had been under total prohibition since 1948. But it was Karunanidhi who lifted the prohibition in 1971. Now he is promising to bring total prohibition in the State. Karunanidhi speaking about prohibition is similar to the devil reading the scriptures. He knows well that his party will not win this election,” thundered the AIADMK leader.
In her first public speech after the Global Investors Meet in September 2015, Jayalalithaa listed the achievements of her Government in the last five years. “The days of 15 hours of power cut which you went through during the DMK regime of 2006 to 2011 are over. Now Tamil Nadu is a power surplus State,” said Jayalalithaa.
She said all the promises made by her in the manifesto for the 2011 Assembly election have been fulfilled. “We have given the people more than what we have promised. The last five years has been a golden era for the women of Tamil Nadu as this Government has showered on them a number of schemes hitherto unheard of anywhere in the country,” said Jayalalithaa.
She reminded the thousands of party cadre, who had made it to the Island Grounds, that she was there only because of the people. “You all know well that I do not have anyone in this world other than you. My life is dedicated to you, the people of Tamil Nadu,” said Jayalalithaa. Waxing eloquence on women, the AIADMK chief said that she would come out with more welfare and social security programmes for them.
Referring to the Opposition charges that the Government failed to control the floods in December 2015, Jayalalithaa said the Union Government’s team of officials which toured the State to take stock of the situation arising out of the floods had in its report to the Prime Minister said that the State Government did an excellent job in the rescue and relief operations.
Interestingly, a major portion of her 75-minute speech was devoted to explain the good works done by the AIADMK Government during the last five years. She ignored all her other challengers which include, the Congress, the PMK, the PWF and the BJP.