Chennai, Oct 29 Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on Wednesday urged all political parties in Tamil Nadu to rise above political differences and attend the all-party meeting convened for November 2 to oppose what he called a “democracy-disrupting” Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral roll by the Election Commission of India.
Addressing a large public gathering in Tenkasi, Stalin accused the BJP-led Union government of “experimenting” with the SIR exercise in Bihar before attempting to impose it on Tamil Nadu.
“This is a man-made calamity threatening the very foundation of democracy,” he said. “I appeal to all Opposition leaders, regardless of our political disagreements, to join hands and stand united against this move.”
The Chief Minister said his government had successfully managed three major natural disasters since 2021 without any financial aid from the Centre.
“Even though the Union government refused to release our request for Rs 37,000 crore towards disaster relief, Tamil Nadu has risen on its own strength and continued to deliver growth and welfare,” he said.
Stalin listed several achievements of his government, including the early release of water from Mettur Dam every year since taking office and the opening of direct procurement centres for paddy from September 1 to protect farmers’ livelihoods.
“During the AIADMK regime, only 28.7 lakh tonnes of paddy were procured annually. Under the DMK, we have purchased an average of 42.61 lakh tonnes a year — a total of 1.7 crore tonnes in four years,” he said, rebutting AIADMK leader Edappadi K. Palaniswami’s recent allegations over paddy procurement lapses.
He also assured that the government had made all arrangements to tackle the northeast monsoon in Chennai, with relief camps stocked with food, medicine, and essential supplies.
During the Tenkasi event, the Chief Minister distributed welfare benefits, inaugurated completed projects, and laid foundation stones for new ones — collectively valued at Rs 1,021.17 crore.
Though expectations were high that Stalin would announce progress on Union permission for establishing the Tenkasi Medical College and Hospital, no such statement was made.
The Chief Minister concluded his address with an appeal for unity: “Tamil Nadu has faced and overcome many disasters. We will face this one too — and protect both our people and our democracy.”
--IANS
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