J Jayalalithaa, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and general secretary, AIADMK, on Tuesday tore into the DMK-Congress front and termed it an oozhal koottani (an alliance of corruption). Countering the DMK-Congress allegations that she has not kept her promises made to the people of Tamil Nadu, the AIADMK leader listed all the achievements made by her Government during the last five years of its rule. Addressing a huge crowd at Arkkonam near Vellore on Tuesday, Jayalalithaa said the AIADMK Government led by her had delivered all she promised to the people at the time of the 2011 Assembly election.
“I do what I promise. I have done more than what I promised in the 2011 Assembly election manifesto. In fact, there are many schemes for the welfare of the poor and downtrodden brought in by this Government which were not mentioned in the 2011 manifesto. The Amma Restaurants, Amma Pharmacies, Amma Mineral Water are schemes which were not mentioned in the manifesto,” said Jayalalithaa to a mammoth crowd which greeted each of her sentences with thundering applause.
“I do not have any relations in this world other than you people. My thoughts are always about the people of Tamil Nadu. Each day I think what I can do for the people today. These schemes are the outcome of my thoughts and concern for you,” said Jayalalithaa.
The AIADMK supremo explained to the audience in short and crisp sentences the novelty in her 2016 manifesto. “Please don’t be under the impression that the promises end with what is mentioned in the manifesto. More and more exclusive schemes for you and your families are on the anvil. You are in for surprises,” said Jayalalithaa.
She blasted the Karunanidhi clan and the DMK for spreading lies and canards about her. “Karunanidhi and his son Stalin contradict each other when they attack me and the AIADMK. Karunanidhi claims that the AIADMK manifesto is a document to cheat the people. But his son Stalin claims that the AIADMK manifesto is a photocopy of the DMK manifesto. let them sort out their differences first and then attack me,” she thundered.
Her Arkkonam speech was laced with humour and sarcasm whenever she mentioned about the DMK and Karunanidhi. Jayalalithaa asked the audience whether they had received all the welfare measures launched by her Government for which the crowd roared in affirmative. The Chief Minister was in a jovial mood as a TV channel, highly critical of her had come out with results of an opinion poll held by it which said the AIADMK was in for a landslide victory. According to the poll results , held between April 18 and May 4, the AIADMK would walk away with 164 seats out of the 234 seats at stake.
The rally saw many senior leaders from DMK, TMC, VCK, INC joining the AIADMK. The main attraction among the newly converts to the AIADMK was Apsara Reddy, who had joined the BJP on March 8. Reddy, editor of a lifestyle magazine, chose to join the AIADMK bandwagon following the shabby treatment meted out to her by the Tamil Nadu BJP leadership, she had told The Pioneer.