DMK president M. K. Stalin on Friday said if his party formed the government it would scrap the proposed Salem-Chennai eight-lane expressway project and would focus on expanding the existing highways.
Canvassing for the DMK’s Salem Lok Sabha constituency candidate S. R. Parthiban, Mr. Stalin said his party would also develop the Salem airport to ensure industrial development in the region.
“Nearly 8,000 acres of agricultural land will be lost if the Salem-Chennai expressway project is undertaken,” he said. The DMK leader promised that the Metro Rail would be introduced in Salem and farm and education loans would be waived. Besides, it would provide free rail pass for all school, college students and ensure that NEET is abolished. Mr. Stalin criticised that though resolutions were passed twice unanimously in the Assembly against the NEET, no further steps were taken by the State government.
Criticising the AIADMK-PMK alliance, he said, “PMK leader S. Ramadoss criticised Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami as the only person who titled himself as god. But now Mr. Ramadoss and his son Anbumani Ramadoss have become bell-bearing priests for Mr. Palaniswami.”
Pollachi case
The DMK leader alleged that AIADMK functionaries were involved in the Pollachi sexual abuse case and the government was trying to hush it up. Mr. Stalin also accused the Chief Minister and his Cabinet colleagues of facing corruption charges like their late leader Jayalalithaa. Alluding to certain charges made in the Kodanad estate heist-cum-murder case, linking Mr. Palaniswami with it, he said the DMK would order a CBI probe into it if it was voted to power. He alleged that the Chief Minister, till date, had not denied any allegation levelled against him regarding this case.
Former State Congress president K.V. Thangkabalu spoke.
