Karur, April 1 (IANS) Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on Wednesday stepped up the DMK’s campaign in Karur district, addressing a public meeting at Rayanur in support of party candidates contesting from the Karur, Aravakurichi, Krishnarayapuram and Kulithalai Assembly constituencies.

Projecting development as the cornerstone of his government’s governance model, Stalin said that projects worth over Rs 5,000 crore had been implemented in Karur district during the DMK’s tenure. He asserted that his administration had not only fulfilled its electoral promises but had also delivered beyond what was pledged.

“This government has executed numerous schemes that even other states would find difficult to match,” he said, highlighting the achievements of what he described as the “Dravidian Model” of governance.

Taking a sharp dig at the Opposition, CM Stalin accused the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of attempting to disturb peace in Tamil Nadu through misinformation campaigns. He said such efforts had failed, with people rejecting what he termed “baseless propaganda” and “political conspiracies”.

Stalin contrasted the DMK’s governance record with that of the previous AIADMK regime, alleging that the latter had subjected people to hardship rather than development.

Referring to the BJP’s performance in the state, he said the party was frustrated after failing to secure even a single seat in the recent parliamentary elections and was now seeking political retribution against Tamil Nadu.

In a lighter vein, Chief Minister Stalin took a swipe at AIADMK leader Edappadi K. Palaniswami, comparing him to a comic character and accusing him of repeatedly exposing his political shortcomings.

He also criticised the AIADMK’s alliance with the BJP, remarking that while the DMK had earlier aligned with former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in a different political context, the AIADMK was now closely aligned with Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

Expressing confidence in the electoral outcome, Stalin said the DMK-led alliance was poised for a decisive victory in Karur district.

He praised minister V. Senthil Balaji, stating that the party’s prospects in Karur were strong under his leadership. Stalin added that Balaji had also been entrusted with overseeing campaign efforts in neighbouring Coimbatore district, expressing confidence that both regions would favour the DMK alliance in the upcoming Assembly elections.

–IANS

aal/pgh