Tamil Nadu’s ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) on Wednesday released its manifesto ahead of the April-May Lok Sabha polls, promising to work to ensure governors are appointed in consultation with the state governments and chief ministers until the gubernatorial office is abolished.
The manifesto promises an amendment to the Constitution’s Article 361 that shields a governor from criminal proceedings, scrapping of the National Education Policy, 2020, the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), and the “One Nation, One Election” proposal.
The promises related to gubernatorial office come against the backdrop of the DMK government’s frequent run-ins with governor RN Ravi. DMK has accused Ravi of being an agent of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its ideological fount Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.
The state government accused Ravi of attempting to run a parallel government as it approached the Supreme Court on Monday against his refusal to swear in K Ponmudi as minister after the court “suspended” his conviction this month in a disproportionate assets case.
The DMK, which is part of the Opposition Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA), has promised statehood to the Union territory of Puducherry and exemption of aspirants from Tamil Nadu from the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET). It has pledged Indian citizenship for Sri Lankan Tamils and a Supreme Court bench in Chennai, elimination of toll plazas on the National Highways, Minimum Support Price for farmers, educational loan waivers and LPG cylinders at ₹500, petrol at ₹75 and diesel at ₹65.
Lawmaker Kanimozhi Karunanidhi, who headed the DMK’s election manifesto committee, toured across Tamil Nadu to draft it. DMK president and chief minister MK Stalin released the manifesto along with the list of the Lok Sabha elections.
INDIA bloc finalised its seat-sharing pact in Tamil Nadu on Monday. DMK is fighting on 21 out of the state’s 39 seats. The Congress will contest nine seats in Tamil Nadu and the lone seat in Puducherry. The Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK), a Dalit party in the state, the Communist Party of India (Marxist), and the Communist Party of India, got two seats each.
The Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK) and the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) are contesting one seat each. In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the DMK-led alliance swept the Lok Sabha polls in the state, winning 38 out of the 39 seats.
The BJP has been trying to make inroads into Tamil Nadu even as no national party has been able to make a mark in the southern state since 1967.
