After the 2014 debacle, this assembly election is, in many ways, a referendum for DMK’s heir apparent MK Stalin. He has even swapped his white veshti for trousers and journeyed across Tamil Nadu. But will MK Stalin's image-makeover and his intense campaigning pass the electoral test this time?
Speaking to The News Minute and answering questions posed to him by Twitter users, MK Stalin said that if DMK comes to power, they would not blindly cancel welfare schemes initiated by the Jayalalithaa government.
“If a government starts a good scheme, the next government should enhance and continue it. MGR started the mid-day meal scheme for school children, when Karunanidhi became CM he added egg to the menu and now we have promised to a glass of milk. The Amma Canteen scheme is not being run well. There is no proper plan in place. If we come to power we will run it properly as Anna Canteen,” Stalin said.
“We will continue with all her good schemes. Unlike Jayalalithaa we will not stop schemes just for the sake of it,” he said.
When asked whether it was wrong for young voters to expect a comparatively younger CM, he said that though the expectation was right, Kalaignar was DMK's CM candidate.
"It is justified that people have such an expectation. But Kalaignar is a 93 years old youngster, he works like a 39-year-old. And when Kalaignar is there, there is no question of another CM candidate for the DMK."
Though the third front consisting of parties like DMDK, MDMK and VCK have been campaigning intensively in the state, Stalin says there is no third front. “We are not upset we didn’t form a bigger alliance. There is no third front in Tamil Nadu. The battle is between DMK and AIADMK,” he said.
The DMK leader elaborated on plans that his party has to tackle issues like unemployment, floods and garbage accumulation.