Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami on Saturday said minorities need not feel insecure about the AIADMK’s alliance with the BJP.
As part of his campaign in Ramanathapuram district, addressing a gathering with a large number of Muslims, he said the AIADMK and the BJP had come together only for the election.
“Minorities should not feel insecure or apprehensive in any way. The AIADMK is a party that is friendly with every community. Every party has its policies and ideologies. For elections, some come together, on a common minimum programme. It does not mean that they will bury or forget their principles,” he said.
He said the DMK, too, had allied with the BJP earlier.
Mr. Palaniswami said the Centre, within a month, would issue appropriate orders based on the State’s recommendations to classify seven Scheduled Caste sub-sects — Pallar, Kudumbar, Pannadi, Kaaladi, Kadayar, Devendrakulathar and Vadhiriyar — as the Devendrakula Vellalar community. He said he had spoken about this with Union Ministers.
Earlier, he said when the Cauvery-Gundar river linking project was fully implemented, Ramanathapuram would be the biggest beneficiary, with about one lakh acres of land getting irrigated. The three-phase project involved an outlay of ₹14,000 crore, and ₹700 had been allotted this year.
Ramanathapuram, once a water-starved region, had transformed due to the kudimaramathu projects, he said.
Countering DMK president M.K. Stalin’s prediction of a split in the AIADMK, he said that nobody could dare to touch even one AIADMK cadre.
Investment proposals
Mr. Palaniswami said the State had attracted ₹60,000 crore-worth investment proposals, during the pandemic. The government was focusing on overall growth, he said.
At Paramakudi, he interacted with small traders, vendors, farmers and cottage unit owners.
At Parthibanoor, he said after his visit to the U.S., the State had proposed to establish an international livestock research and animal sciences centre in Thalaivasal, Salem district, and it would be the biggest in Asia. This would enable farmers to reap benefits. Milch animals, which can produce 65 l of milk a day, would become a reality in Tamil Nadu too, he said, adding that works were on. The government had laid the stone for it in February 2020, he added.
