Stalin's sister and Member of Parliament (MP) Kanimozhi and other party leaders were also present at the event in Chennai. The manifesto says that until the office of governor is abolished, a governor should be appointed in consultation with the chief minister. It also promised, among other things, a separate state for Puducherry and a ban on the NEET.
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“We have formed the INDIA alliance and we will form our government in 2024. In our manifesto, we have announced special schemes for Tamil Nadu and in this manifesto schemes are given for each district,” Stalin said.
Under the seat-sharing arrangement, the DMK is fielding candidates in 21 of the state's 39 seats. Its ally from the INDIA bloc, the Congress, will contest on nine seats in Tamil Nadu and the lone Lok Sabha seat in Puducherry.
Tamil Nadu's 39 seats will vote in the first phase of the seven-phase Lok Sabha elections on April 19.
In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the DMK-led alliance won 38 of the 39 seats. The Congress, the DMK ally, won eight seats, while the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), managed only one seat.
These are the key highlights from the DMK manifesto
Appoint governor in consultation with CM
One of the major highlights of the DMK manifesto is that it states that the chief minister should be consulted while appointing the governor of the state until the office of governor is abolished.
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This assumes importance given the CM's strained relationship with the governor. In the latest bone of contention, the Stalin-led DMK government in Tamil Nadu and Governor RN Ravi are sparring over the issue of swearing-in of former minister K Ponmudy as a Cabinet minister. The governor rejected Prime Minister Stalin's request. This after the Supreme Court on March 11 stayed Ponmudy's conviction in a disproportionate assets case and suspended his three-year prison sentence.
From now on, the governor of a state is appointed by the president for a term of five years. The party has also promised to abolish Article 356 of the Constitution, which gives the Center the power to dismiss a state government
No to CAA and UCC
The manifesto reiterated DMK's claim that it will not implement the Citizenship Amendment rules and the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) in the state. While the Citizenship Amendment rules were implemented by the Union government on March 11, the UCC is one of the promises in the BJP's earlier manifestos.
However, the party has promised to grant Indian citizenship to returning Sri Lankan Tamils.
DMK has also promised to oppose the 'One Nation, One Election' proposal. On March 14, the High-Level Committee on 'One Nation, One Election' submitted its report to President Droupadi Murmu, who stood for simultaneous elections across the country.
One represents Pondicherry
The DMK has promised statehood to Puducherry, currently a Union Territory. Currently, the Puducherry Union Territory has a Legislative Assembly with 30 seats. All India NR Congress (AINRC) founder N Rangasamy is the chief minister. AINRC is an NDA ally and won the 2021 elections.
Ban NEET, revoke NEP.
The DMK has opposed the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 in its manifesto and promised to withdraw it. The NEP, which was introduced by the Union government in July 2020, replaces the previous National Education Policy of 1986.
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The party has also promised to ban the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET). NEET, formerly known as the All India Pre-Medical Test (AIPMT), is a pre-medical entrance test for students who wish to pursue undergraduate medical courses such as MBBS and BDS in government and private institutions in India.
Other highlights
The promises in the DMK manifesto include:
-The Indian Constitution will be amended to grant federal rights to the states.
-Establishment of a division of the High Court in Chennai.
-33 percent reservation for women will be implemented.
– ₹1,000 for women every month across India.
-New IIT, IIM, IISc and IIARI will be created.
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Published: Mar 20, 2024 1:37 PM IST