Jaya picks up poll gauntlet early, asks cadres to go to people

Ahead of assembly polls next year, AIADMK supremo and Chief Minister Jayalalithaa today asked her party cadres to embark on a propaganda blitzkrieg to highlight the achievements of their party's regime in the past four years in Tamil Nadu.
She also asked party workers to celebrate victory in the R K Nagar bypoll from where she was re-elected to the Tamil Nadu Assembly last month.
Jayalalithaa told the party workers to hold public meetings for three days from July 10 to 12 and after that street-corner meetings and a variety of propaganda activities including organising cultural events, issuing pamphlets and pasting wall posters.

Jayalalithaa's announcement assumes significance as assembly polls in the state are scheduled to be held by April-May next year.
Also, through this exercise the ruling party has sought to get the focus of the political discourse around its welfare schemes especially at a time when the opposition is trying to keep the pot boiling over an assets case against Jayalalithaa.
"Public meetings will be held across Tamil Nadu to explain the achievements of the government led by me in the past four years and to celebrate the stupendous victory of the party in the R K Nagar bypoll," Jayalalithaa said in a party statement.

Launch of Metro Rail services, strides in power sector and 298 'Amma Canteens' that sell food items across the state at a highly subsidised rate were among the several achievements listed by her.

Significantly, she claimed that "Tamil Nadu now shines as a state which has fulfilled its electricity needs."
Power generation from new projects including Vallur and Mettur, long term Power Purchase Agreements, tapping solar power were among the things cited by her to showcase how she took on the challenge of serious power crisis when she assumed office in 2011.
She asked her party workers to explain such achievements of the party to the people. "The goal of the good will succeed for sure," she quoted her mentor, party founder and former Chief Minister MG Ramachandran, to say that the party continued to implement pioneering schemes for the people's welfare.

Public meetings will explain the numerous achievements for the growth of the people and development of Tamil Nadu, she added.