`We stand by poor, our dole is to uplift them'

Trichy: Accusing the DMK of showing no concern or interest for the welfare of farmers, chief minister and AIADMK chief J Jayalalithaa on Sunday said the DMK regime and M K Stalin in particular, had sanctioned a project for coal bed methane exploration in the delta districts of Thanjavur and Tiruvarur that would have turned the region into a desert.

Speaking about the AIADMK's manifesto in Thanjavur, Jayalalithaa mocked the “contradictory“ statements of DMK leaders. “While Karunandhi claimed it to be a manifesto to cheat people, his son Stalin claimed it to be the Xerox (photocopy) of DMK's manifesto. They need to first sort out their confusion,“ she said.

“DMK has no achievements to show to seek votes from public. While they can only make promises in their man ifesto, we have plenty of beneficial schemes for you,“ she said.Admitting that her manifesto promised a slew of freebies again, she said AIADMK would stand by the poor and the freebies were aimed at uplifting them. Taking a dig at Karunanidhi, she said, “I have no intention of giving free television sets to people for earning crores of rupees by charging them for cable connections.“ Clarifying about the delay in releasing the party manifesto, she said the first few days of her campaign were devoted to explaining the five-year achievements of her government.

Aiming barbs at Stalin for the first time, Jayalalithaa, who campaigned in Thanjavur in the heart of the delta belt on Sunday , said it was Stalin, then deputy chief minister holding the industries portfolio, who signed an MoU with GEECL (Great Eastern Energy Corporation Ltd) in January 2011 for sanctions, licences and infrastructure for the methane project, that saw long drawn protests by farmers. Senior DMK leader T R Baalu was Union minister when the Centre signed a production sharing agreement with the company , The state pollution control board under her government did not grant clearances for digging borewells, she said. “If I had not intervened and banned the project based on a report submitted by a committee to study its feasibility , this fertile delta region would have turned into a desert,“ said Jayalalilthaa. “DMK which tried to bring such adverse projects has now claimed in its manifesto that it would not allow methane or shale gas exploration in the state,“ she said, adding that her government had never done anything that went against interests of farmers.