CHENNAI: The two main political parties in Tamil Nadu have used their Lok Sabha poll manifestos to woo voters with promises of doles and loan waivers in a blatant display of competitive populism. Both AIADMK and DMK had several promises in common in their manifestos that were revealed on Tuesday. AIADMK has promised Rs 1500 a month for those living below the poverty line, while DMK said interest-free loan of Rs 50,0000 per head would be given to rural women living below the poverty line to help them start small businesses. DMK also said it would push for a joint parliamentary committee probe into the Rafale deal.
DMK also came out with constituency-specific manifestos for each of the 18 assembly seats. This is the first time that a political party is releasing manifestos for every assembly segment going to polls. Both parties also promised to waive farm loans for small and marginal farmers and education loans of students. Meanwhile, the AIADMK manifesto offered free higher education to all children should be a national policy. In line with their opposition to NEET, both parties promised to get exemption from a common entrance test for medical courses in Tamil Nadu. Both parties also sought the release of the seven LTTE convicts serving life terms in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case.
In the meantime, the Telangana Rashtra Samithi and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have ignored key contenders, but the Congress party has fielded senior leaders ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in Telangana. The TRS, led by Chief Miinster K Chandrasekhar Rao, dropped sitting member of parliament AP Jithender Reddy, who has the party's floor leader in the Lok Sabha, in Mahbubnagar seat. The BJP denied ticket to its sitting MP and former union minister Bandaru Dattatreya from Secunderabad. It has fielded Bangaru Shruthi, daughter of former BJP President Bangaru Laxman, from Nagarkurnool constituency. K Kavitha, daughter of the Chief Minister, is seeking reelection from Nizamabad, while in Khammam, the TRS has named former MO Nama Nageswara Rao, who quit the TDP earlier this week, as its candidate in Khammam.
