Will bring law mandating 75% jobs for resident Tamils: AIADMK manifesto

Veering into geopolitical issues between India and Sri Lanka, Tamil Nadu's principal opposition party AIADMK said in its manifesto that firm steps will be taken to retrieve Katchatheevu, an islet near Tamil Nadu that the Indian government ceded to the neighbouring island nation Sri Lanka, back in 1974. Retrieving Katchatheevu has been a regular political demand of the fishing community in Tamil Nadu. AIADMK also added that they will urge the Central government to grant ‘dual citizenship’ to Sri Lankan Tamil refugees living in India. About 89,000 Sri Lankan Tamils have been living in the Southern Indian state, after having fled their home country.

AIADMK leads the National Democratic Alliance in Tamil Nadu, which comprises the BJP, India's ruling party. Tamil Nadu is to vote on April 23. A law mandating that a minimum of 75 per cent of jobs in all private companies, factories, and commercial establishments operating in Tamil Nadu must be provided to Tamils belonging to the state, was also mentioned in the manifesto.

The major welfare measures announced in the manifesto include: one-time compassionate assistance of Rs.10,000 for every household in the state, waiver of education loans obtained from banks for those who are unable to repay EMIs owing to unemployment, monthly assistance of Rs. 2,000 for unemployed graduate youth and young women registered in employment exchanges; Rs. 1,000 per month for those who have studied up to class 12 and registered in employment exchanges.

On issues pertaining to centre-state relations it was said: it is our policy that the Central government must provide

proper financial and administrative devolution to the state fovernments and this will be pressed always, we will continuously insist that Tamil Nadu's current proportional representation is not reduced during the delimitation of constituencies, we continuously assert that clauses detrimental to the two-language policy envisioned by Arignar Anna are unacceptable. There is no change in this stance. We will continue to adhere to our position that no clauses detrimental to the rights and policies of Tamil Nadu can be accepted, said the manifesto."

"We will increase the financial resources accordingly. Just like we managed to overcome the revenue deficit during the COVID-19 period, we will increase the financial support and properly implement the projects we announced," AIADMK chief Edappadi Palaniswami said when queried about how the welfare measures mentioned in the manifesto could be implemented amid the heavy debt burden on the state.