Dubbing the AIADMK's poll manifesto as a 'xerox' of the one released by his party, DMK president M. K. Stalin on Monday claimed that the ruling dispensation was on its way out after the April 6 Assembly election.
Stalin, who addressed an election rally at Tiruvarur, the native place of his father M. Karunanidhi, turned emotional as he recalled the Dravidian stalwart's spectacular victory in the 1989 elections and said the coming polls would see the return of the DMK after a decade in opposition.
"The ten years of corrupt rule of the AIADMK will end. A month ago, I had said the DMK will win 200 seats. The trends are completely in favour of the DMK now. We will win all the 234 seats," he said to huge applause from the crowd.
Recalling the 1989 election in which the DMK posted a significant victory, Stalin said the election saw Kalaignar (as Karunanidhi is addressed) become the chief minister.
"I have come to you as the son of Kalaignar, as the chief ministerial candidate, seeking a decisive mandate for the DMK combine. Will you make us win, paving the way for the victory celebrations in Tiruvarur?" he asked.
The crowd responded by saying that they have the conviction that DMK would win all the seats, to which Stalin said the whole of Tamil Nadu wants the DMK to return to power.
"The AIADMK will be washed out" he said.
Ridiculing AIADMK for allegedly lifting the announcements from the DMK election manifesto, the DMK chief, who earlier in the day filed his nomination from the city's Kolathur constituency, said "they (AIADMK) were waiting to see what Stalin is announcing”.
He claimed that AIADMK's promise of waiving education loans of students, incentive for women, increase in pensions for beneficiaries and writing off crop loans of farmers were all announced by him, the only difference being that the amounts were enhanced.
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"What we announced were all the DMK's programmes and it was Kalaignar who had waived off Rs 7,000 crore of crop loans for the benefit of farmers,” he said.
"It will not be a wonder if the AIADMK promises aircraft. They will say anything, as they are not going to return to power," he said.
As promised in the DMK's manifesto, the party would seek an early report from the inquiry commission probing the death of late chief minister J. Jayalalithaa, he said.
