By IANS,
Chennai : The five years of the United Progressive Alliance’s rule has resulted only in price rise of essential commodities, job losses, stagnating industrial growth and farmer suicides, AIADMK general secretary J. Jayalalitha said here Thursday.
The leader of the five-party alliance that includes PMK, Communist party of India-Marxist (CPI-M), Communist Party of India (CPI) and MDMK, kick-started her election campaign addressing a massive public meeting at the Island Grounds here.
“During the past three years of DMK rule (in Tamil Nadu), prices of essential items have gone up three fold. Even as the global crude prices have come down, the central government has not effected a corresponding cut in the retail prices to lessen the burden on common people,” she said.
She said the power cuts effected by the state government had not only stunted the industrial growth but also brought in an agrarian crisis.
“In 2006, the installed power generation capacity was 10,011 MW and this has gone down by 1,500 MW. Further, the central government has reduced its share to the state by 1,000 MW.”
According to her, the central government lost Rs.100,000 crore in revenue by following the ‘first-come’ basis instead of auctioning the mobile telephony spectrum.
Citing the formation of Arasu Cable Corporation and its current status, she attacked Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi for favouring his family over people. “When I come to power the people will be able to watch the programmes they want on their televisions at much cheaper rates,” she promised.
She said Karunanidhi has mortgaged the interests of the state with the centre instead of fighting for its rights and cited the long pending river water sharing disputes with the neighbouring states.
“If the AIADMK alliance wins all the 40 Lok Sabha seats it contests in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, then the state can decide who is fit to be the country’s prime minister,” she said.
Releasing the party’s manifesto, she presented a copy to CPI-M general secretary Prakash Karat.
Other alliance party leaders like CPI general secretary A.B. Bardhan, PMK founder S. Ramadoss and MDMK general secretary Vaiko also addressed the meeting.