Jayalalithaa Breaks Her Own Record On Freebies For Voters

Jayalalithaa is outdoing her rivals and in fact herself in wooing voters. The ADMK chief and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister on Thursday unveiled her party manifesto for the May 16 assembly elections, promising freebies such as mobile phones to all 1.92 crore ration card holders, 50% subsidy on scooters for working women, 100 units of free power and free Wi-Fi at public places.

The promises are largely meant for first-time voters and women who form her core constituency. This, as DMK inches close.

After the last election, Jayalalithaa had distributed free laptops to class 11 and 12 students. Now, they have been promised free internet connectivity.

Jayalalithaa seems to have bettered the promises made by the DMK manifesto. DMK’s Karunanidhi had announced tablets for 16 lakh school students and smartphones for the poor. He had also promised power subsidies, lower milk prices and a waiver on educational and farm loans.

Both AIADMK and DMK have focussed on jobs, infrastructure, start-ups, industry and investments. For the first time, both parties have promised an anti-corruption ombudsman.

Five key pointers in AIADMK manifesto are -- Prohibition (just like every other party in the state), waiving of farm loans, 100 units of free power for 78 lakh households, maternity leave extension from six months to nine months, training for women to ride autos along with loan that will be provided to buy autorickshaws.

The manifesto is filled with promises, and people of Tamil Nadu have benefitted from schemes like Amma canteen, Amma water, Amma salt, Amma Pharmacy, and other Amma goodies.

The AIADMK manifesto promises a complete waiver of all farm loans, Rs 40,000-crore loans for farmers from 2016-21, no FDI in retail, free laptops with internet for Class 10th and 12th students, free set top boxes to all Arasu cable TV subscribers, and up to 100 units of electricity free of cost to consumers, which will exempt 78 lakh domestic consumers from paying electricity bill. The poor have been promised an Amma banking card to avail of all government services while a Rs 50-crore Amma Venture Capital fund will be set up for first generation entrepreneurs. The manifesto also talks of breakfast for primary schoolchildren.

On the other hand, the DMK did not promise any fresh free consumer durables on a large scale.

The DMK has promised to bring total prohibition in TN. Its manifesto also promises jobs for 1,00,000 people through employment exchanges, monthly reading of the power meters instead of once in two months, industrial corridors in Madurai-Tuticorin and Chennai-Hosur belts, 20 kg free rice to the poor, steps to write off education loan dues, single window clearance for industries, pay commission for state government employees to bring their salaries at par with central government staff, withdrawal of defamation cases filed against journalists and setting up of welfare board for journalists, grievance redressal meetings at all assembly constituencies once in three months, desalination plants in all coastal districts, Rs.300,000 subsidy for converting thatched houses into concrete houses, preference in government jobs to first graduate in a family, free bus passes for those over 60 years of age, etc.