Annamalai attacks DMK over welfare cuts, promises

Pudukottai: Former BJP state president K Annamalai on Thursday launched a sharp attack on the ruling DMK, asserting that an AIADMK-led govt would return to power after the May 4 election results.Addressing a gathering in Aranthangi in support of BJP candidate Kavitha Srikanth, Annamalai expressed confidence that Edappadi K Palaniswami would assume office as chief minister. He accused the DMK govt led by M K Stalin of curtailing central welfare benefits, claiming that the number of beneficiaries receiving 6,000 annual assistance in Pudukottai district had dropped from 1.37 lakh before 2021 to 83,000 after the DMK came to power. Alleging that 51,000 beneficiaries were removed from the list, he said an AIADMK-led regime would reinstate them. Annamalai also dismissed the DMK's claim of introducing 50% reservation for women in local body elections, attributing the policy to former chief minister J Jayalalithaa and its implementation to the previous AIADMK govt. He criticised Stalin for "focusing on issues like Delhi, Hindi, and boycotts" instead of governance, and spoke about a proposed constitutional amendment of delimitation that, he said, would increase the total number of MPs to 850 and raise Tamil Nadu's representation to 59, along with reinstating the Pudukottai Lok Sabha constituency. Later, speaking at a campaign meeting in Pudukottai town in support of BJP candidate N Ramachandran, Annamalai accused the DMK of neglecting key infrastructure projects, stating that no funds had been allocated for the Cauvery–Vaigai–Gundaru river linking scheme during its tenure. Highlighting water scarcity in Pudukottai, he claimed that residents receive water only once every 10 days and are forced to spend up to 3,000 per month on water.