Chennai, March 24 AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami announced on Tuesday that his party would provide free refrigerators to all holders of rice ration cards if his party is voted into power in the 2026 Assembly election.
He also assured that rice category ration cardholders in Tamil Nadu would receive one kilogram of lentils and one liter of cooking oil free of charge.
These announcements align with those of the party leader and late Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa, who had announced a populist scheme to provide free fans, mixers, and grinders as part of the AIADMK election manifesto ahead of the 2011 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections.
After coming to power, she launched the distribution of these freebies on September 15, 2011, coinciding with the birth anniversary of former Chief Minister C N Annadurai.
At the AIADMK state headquarters here, Palaniswami, while releasing the party's poll manifesto for the April 23 election, said, "The free refrigerator is intended to reduce the workload for homemakers."
The party has already promised three free LPG cylinders per year to eligible households, and Rs 10 lakh in ex-gratia to families in the event of the death of bull tamers during the sport, among numerous other assurances in the AIADMK manifesto.
He had also announced a series of welfare measures for women, such as a monthly allowance of Rs 2,000, subsidized 2-wheelers for 5 lakh working women at a cost of Rs 25,000, the waiver of education loans obtained from banks, an increase in social security pensions for the elderly and others to Rs 2,000, free bus travel for men, similar to women; an increase in the rural employment scheme to 150 days, and a one-time grant of Rs 10,000 to every family to manage tax burden and price increases.
Palaniswami criticized the DMK regime over alleged "commission, collection, and corruption" while releasing the party's manifesto.
It may be recalled that in 2006, DMK president M Karunanidhi had announced free color television sets to poor households, as part of the DMK election manifesto. After coming to power, he launched the scheme on Annadurai's birth anniversary.
Nearly 297 announcements figure in the AIADMK manifesto, with the last one being "compassionate appointments for the family members of martyred and disabled soldiers in the military."
"The people of Tamil Nadu were severely affected during the past five years of the DMK's rule, under the dictatorship of the inefficient Chief Minister Mr M K Stalin, who made various false promises knowing that they were difficult to implement, and deceived the people and came to power," the manifesto, released in English and Tamil, said.
During the DMK regime, various tax hikes, such as electricity charges, property tax, drinking water tax, sewage tax, professional tax, garbage tax, etc., were implemented, and the prices of essential commodities and construction materials increased.
"Bribery and corruption have proliferated across all departments, leaving the people in despair. Law and order has completely deteriorated; murders, robberies, sexual crimes against women, and the trafficking of drugs have increased, leaving Tamil Nadu completely ruined," it said.