Tamil Nadu: DMK to form dept to solve people’s grievances in 100 days if elected

MK Stalin will launch a new campaign from January 29 titled ‘Ungal Thogithiyil Stalin’ (‘Stalin in your constituency’) from Thiruvannamalai district

If elected to govern, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) will form a new department to resolve people’s individual grievances, said DMK president MK Stalin on Monday.

MK Stalin. (Sourced)

“I am taking an oath today, that my first job will be to resolve your problems on a war footing within the first 100 days,” Stalin announced in front of the residence of his late father and former Tamil Nadu chief minister M Karunanidhi in Chennai’s Gopalapuram. He said he chose the location to walk the talk like his father.

Stalin will launch a new campaign from January 29 titled ‘Ungal Thogithiyil Stalin’ (‘Stalin in your constituency’) from Thiruvannamalai district. He will cover all the 234 assembly constituencies of the state in a month. During the campaign, people can submit their grievances, which the DMK leader will seal and put in a box to be addressed once the party comes to power. For those who cannot participate, the party has announced a website, mobile number and the Stalin Ani app (Stalin party’s app) to register their complaints. Grievances of individuals or families should be on issues such as water connections, pensions, birth certificates and ration cards. General complaints such as lack of infrastructure will be taken care by existing systems such as district collector’s offices and the chief minister’s complaint cell, clarified Stalin.

“I am personally responsible for solving these complaints,” Stalin said, holding up a grievance form for people to fill attached with an acknowledgement receipt that will be given to the complainant. “It has a serial number so they can follow up and keep us accountable,” Stalin said. The DMK chief said that during the gram sabha meetings he held in thousands of villages across the state, people had several grievances. “Mostly women attended these meetings,” Stalin said adding they had complaints about the lack of drinking water, issues in land documents and lack of salary under government programmes. “At least one crore [10 million] families’ problems will be addressed through this in the first 100 days,” Stalin said.

“The new department is a temporary arrangement which could be headed by an IAS officer or be formed under an existing ministry to address civil rights and basic amenities provided by the government which haven’t reached individuals,” said DMK’s spokesperson Constantine Ravindran.

Reacting to DMK’s new plan, the ruling AIADMK’s spokesperson told reporters, “How many petitions as an MLA has he resolved from Kolathur (the constituency from where Stalin was elected)?”