Tamil Nadu Elections: DMK, AIADMK promise freebies
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Both the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) parties have announced "freebies" as part of their election manifestos in the lead-up to the vote in the south Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Freebies have been a success from the 2006 Tamil Nadu elections when DMK lured voters by announcing free colour televisions to households. That triumph led the major opposition AIADMK to announce similar freebies in their manifesto published Thursday.
DMK has announced free laptops to college students, kitchen appliances and modern networks to rural regions. The AIADMK, publishing their manifesto later, expanded on each of the promises of the DMK, plus offering 4g gold mangalsutra for the poor, monetary help for rural households and fishermen, free rice, and more.
AIADMK manifesto addresses larger issues, such as taking on the near-monopoly of the cable industry television industry, starting new Power generation plants to address power shortages in recent years.
Sources
- Sam Daniel,Peer Mohammed. "Tamil Nadu polls: Jayalalithaa trumps DMK offers of freebies for voters" — NDTV, March 24, 2011
- "Jayalalithaa swarms voters with freebies" — The Hindu, March 24, 2011
- "தி.மு.க.,வுக்கு அ.தி.மு.க., சவால்: மிக்சி, மின் விசிறி, கிரைண்டர், தங்கம் 20 கிலோ அரிசி இலவசம்" — Dina Malar, March 24, 2011 (Tamil)