Poll promise on property tax not kept: EPS

TIRUCHY: Leading the party sponsored protest against the recent hike in the property tax rates announced by the state government, the former chief minister, pointing to the 487th poll promise of the DMK, said, the particular assurance claimed that there won’t be any increase in property tax rates unless the people overcome the economic losses due to COVID. “But you (DMK) blame the Centre as though they had asked you to increase the taxes. The Centre never said so. When the situation to increase the tax arose during the AIADMK rule in 2018 itself, the people opposed it and we dropped the move. This is evident that AIADMK is always focused on people’s welfare unlike the DMK which is concerned about the development of the people from their families,” said EPS.

Alleging that the DMK government had dropped several welfare schemes, including gold for Thaali and marriage assistance, the AIADMK veteran said those schemes really helped the downtrodden women. Other schemes, like free bicycles, laptops, bags, slippers, books and other essential items that were implemented by the AIADMK government had also been discontinued by the DMK government, he added.

Similarly, Palaniswami comparing the prices of construction materials during the AIADMK government and the present DMK regime, said “during our (AIADMK) government steel was sold at Rs 36,000 per tonne but now it is being sold at Rs 90,000 per tonne. Cement rate was at Rs 290 per bag then and now it is Rs 500 per bag. They (DMK) also promised that prices of construction materials won’t be hiked but failed on that front too.”

Among other things, the former CM asked Chief Minister MK Stalin about the status of petitions received from the public when he was the Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly. He said the AIADMK government, which organised mega camps across the state, received 9.76 lakh petitions out of which 5.40 lakh petitions were found to be eligible and they were all redressed.

In Vellore

Meanwhile in Vellore, more than 200 AIADMK cadre participated in a demonstration condemning the DMK government for the hike in property tax. However, the protest took a twist when party urban district secretary SRK Appu, in his address started highlighting various issues which resulted in the party’s poor show in the recent urban local body polls. Senior functionaries wondered at the need to talk of local body election issues when the agitation was to highlight the demand to roll back property tax hike. However, the agitation ended in about 30 minutes. Those present included party treasurer M Moorthy and IT wing functionary Janani Satish Kumar.

திமுக அரசு சொத்து வரியை உயர்த்தியதைக் கண்டித்து, சென்னை வள்ளுவர் கோட்டத்தில் மாண்புமிகு கழக ஒருங்கிணைப்பாளர் @OfficeOfOPS அவர்கள் தலைமையில் போராட்டம்.#சொத்து_வரியா_சொத்தை_பறிக்கும்_வரியா pic.twitter.com/il880DU4Y1

— AIADMK (@AIADMKOfficial) April 5, 2022

Udhayakumar, Sellur Raju lead protests

MADURAI: In Madurai, AIADMK cadre staged protests in different parts condemning the hike in property tax rates. RB Udhayakumar, Tirumangalam MLA and former minister, addressing the protesters said the present hike by the DMK government will affect people of all walks of life. Further, taking a dig at the state, he said Stalin promised to abolish NEET, but the academic year is under way and nothing has been done. Over the last eleven months in the DMK rule, no scheme has been launched for the people, but Stalin’s winding up ‘Amma clinics’ and ‘Amma canteens’ are against the interest of people. At Bethaniyapuram, Sellur K. Raju, Madurai West MLA and former minister led the protest. He cautioned that the state would also increase electricity tariff, milk price and bus fare in the coming days.