Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and ruling DMK President M Karunanidhi today announced new freebies to woo voters, promising them free grinders or mixies for housewives, if the DMK is voted back to power in the April 13 Assembly elections.
Releasing the party's election manifesto here this evening, Mr Karunanidhi took the womenfolk by pleasant surprise when he announced that a grinder or mixie would be given free of cost to women to reduce their hardships in the kitchen.
If the DMK caught the Opposition off guard during the 2006 Assembly elections, when it announced free colour television sets and cheap rice among other freebies, this time it was grinders and mixies, besides free rice that is expected to do the miracle for the party.
Its election manifesto for the 2006 Assembly elections was described as :hero" by Union Home Minister P Chidambaram,. This time Mr Karunanidhi described it as "heroine'' as it pleases womenfolk.
Asserting that Re one a kg rice scheme to the poor people would continue, Mr Karunanidhi announced that the party would provide 35 kg of rice per month free of cost to all families having "Anthyodhaya" family card, to the poorest of the poor.
When the opposition criticised the party for the freebies, the DMK President, jusifying them, had said the party would continue to provide freebies till the poor existed in the state.
Stating that the free housing scheme would continue, Mr Karunanidhi said the DMK would increase the subsidy of Rs 75,000 to Rs one lakh, under the Kalaignar housing scheme.
He said the marriage assistance would be increased from Rs 25,000 to Rs 30,000 and financial assistance to women from Rs 6,000 to Rs 10,000.
Mr Karunanidhi said the old age pension would be increased from Rs 500 to Rs 750 and free bus pass would be given to senior citizens to travel in local buses.
The DMK would consider the implementation of the recommendations of the Sivasubramaniam Commission to protect the welfare of palmyra and coconut farmers, he said.
While providing protection to all educational institutions and places of worship of minorites, the party would examine an increase in the quantum of reservation for Muslims, he said.
It also promised to extend the Chennai Metro Rail project up to Mamallapuram and introduce Metro Rail in Madurai and Coimbatore and prevent foreign direct investment in retail trade and conversion of agricultural lands to other uses without permission.
The free power supply would be extended to coconut farming and horticulture crops. The DMK would distribute inputs to farmers at subsidised rates through farmer-friendly vehicles at their door step, the Chief Minister said.
It would waive non-farm loans and their interest by stages and establish service centres at Taluk and Divisional levels to render all essential services to the public, he added.
