DMK again tries freebie strategy

Ahead of assembly elections in the state, scheduled on April 13, the ruling DMK party is trying its time-tested method of attracting votes through free-product schemes.

In its manifesto, released on Saturday, it said it would distribute free mixies or grinders to women, free laptops to scheduled caste/tribe and backward class students in government colleges and 35 kg of rice free of cost in a month to below-poverty line families if voted back to power.

Also, free bus travel to senior citizens.

The manifesto also promised continuation of all existing welfare schemes, such as free distribution of a colour televisionset per family and rice at Rs 1 a kg.

Before the 2006 assembly polls, the DMK manifesto promised a free colour TV, waiver of cooperative farm loans and the one-rupee rice scheme. Also land for landless farmers and waiver of Rs 7,000 crore of cooperative bank loans to farmers. These are thought to have helped the party capture the power in May 2006.

The 64-page manifesto released for the 2011 election by Chief Minister M Karunanidhi also promises to increase the grant under the Kalaignar housing scheme to Rs 1 lakh from the present Rs 75,000 per house and increase assistance for pregnant women from Rs 6,000 to Rs 10,000.

The manifesto also assures a free monthly check-up for senior citizens at their houses by government doctors. Plus, a raise in the credit limit for women self-help groups from Rs 2 lakh to Rs 4 lakh.

Other assurances include making Tamil an official court language, starting consumer markets in urban areas and mobile vegetable markets in cities. Kidney-failure patients would get free dialysis in district government hospitals.

Other promsies are for a regulatory commission on medical college fees and free vaccines for the rota virus (diarrhoea), meningococcus and hepatitis, for poor children.