The Hindu : DMK promises two million jobs

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Feb 22, 2004

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

DMK promises two million jobs

By R.K. Radhakrishnan and S. Vijay Kumar

The DMK president, M. Karunanidhi, releasing the party's manifesto for the Lok Sabha election at the south zone conference at Chattirareddipatti, near Virudhunagar, on Saturday. Going through the manifesto (from left) are the general secretary, K. Anbazhagan; the MP, Sarath Kumar, and the deputy general secretary, M. K. Stalin. - Photo: S. James

VIRUDHUNAGAR, FEB. 21. The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) today promised to create two million jobs for educated youth and women, besides assuring reservation to the `creamy layer' among backward classes through constitutional amendments.

A wide range of promises on development programmes and welfare schemes forms the party manifesto, released by the president, M. Karunanidhi, at the inaugural of the two-day south zone conference at `Murasoli Maran Nagar', near here.

``The DMK will insist on a special scheme to create jobs for educated unemployed youth.

Apart from establishing training centres across the country, we will seek appropriate changes in the economic and industrial policies to meet this objective,'' he said.

While laying emphasis on self-employment and entrepreneur development schemes, the party would press for the appointment of one million women as `village workers' to propagate government programmes and one million youths as `road workers' to maintain the Golden Quadrilateral roads and National Highways.

Quota in private sector

Noting that multinationals did not follow job reservation, the party said it would ``insist on implementation of reservation in jobs in the private sector units that receive financial assistance or any form of approval from the Government.''

The Constitution would be amended to enable States to determine the percentage of reservation based on a castewise census of backward classes, most backward classes and Dalits.

The party would oppose taking economic criteria as the basis for reservation. It would take steps to provide a separate quota for Muslims and Dalit Christians.

Charge against BJP

Accusing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of politically exploiting the Ayodhya tangle, the DMK also said that despite its making several representations when it was in the National Democratic Alliance, the Centre took no efforts to resolve vital issues, including the demand for repeal of the Prevention of Terrorism Act, declaring Tamil a classical and official language and implementation of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal's interim order.

The BJP supported the anti-conversion law and remained a mute spectator to the ``authoritarian and anti-democratic measures'' of the Tamil Nadu Government against peasants, weavers, transport workers, teachers, government employees, traders, students, the media and Opposition parties.

This created ``an untenable situation for the DMK to continue in the NDA''.

Mr. Karunanidhi said the party would take steps to repeal the anti-conversion laws passed in a few States including Tamil Nadu. It also ``demands repeal of the POTA immediately."

Profit-making public sector undertakings (PSUs) should not sold off and a special programme would be chalked out to revamp sick units.

The party would resist the closure of PSUs in Tamil Nadu, including the Hindustan Photo Films and the Salem Steel Plant. As recommended by the Kothari Commission, efforts would be taken to allocate six per cent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to the education sector.

Other promises include a constitutional amendment to restore the Legislative Council in the State, rejection of the Malimath Committee report on amendments to the Criminal Procedure Code, creation of a southern gas grid, support to globalisation by protecting domestic trade/consumer interests, setting up of a permanent exhibition at Tirupur, passing of the women's reservation bill, free education up to the university level to children of destitute women, a housing scheme for the shelterless, conversion of all meter gauge rail lines into broad gauge, raising of the storage in the Periyar dam from 136 to 152 feet, linking of rivers, raising of income tax exemption from Rs. 50,000 to Rs. 1 lakh and allocation of 50 per cent of the Centre's total revenue to the States.

Press freedom

Observing that freedom of the press was now in ``peril'' in the State, the DMK said it would bring in legislation to address the issue.

``Numerous defamation cases are slapped on the media in Tamil Nadu and reporting the proceedings of the legislature causes practical difficulties.''

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