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<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\nNEW DELHI: Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin expressed his optimism over the DMK-led alliance’s victory in the state assembly elections. He claimed that they would be able to secure over 200 seats in the polls, while he also launched attack at the BJP of trying to use the women\u2019s quota as a \u201cweapon\u201d against the opposition. He also trained guns at the AIADMK chief Edappadi K Palaniswami, the enforcement directorate and the Centre.Stalin said the Secular Progressive Alliance, which includes Congress, Left parties and the VCK, would sweep the 234-member Assembly and form the Dravidian Model 2.0 government. He claimed public support for the DMK had been strengthened by five years of governance and welfare measures. \u201cPeople have placed immense love and trust in my party, and with their support, the SPA will win more than 200 seats and form the Dravidian Model 2.0 government,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n The chief minister said the Union government was not serious about implementing reservations for women and accused the BJP-led Centre of trying to use it to counter the opposition ahead of the delimitation exercise. \u201cThe Union government is not concerned about implementing reservations for women. If their concerns were genuine, they could have done it right away. Rather than doing that, the BJP-led Centre is thinking of using it as a weapon to tackle opposition and take up the delimitation exercise based on population,\u201d he said.He added that women\u2019s reservation must be implemented immediately and without linking it to delimitation. Stalin also said Tamil Nadu had raised the first voice on the issue of delimitation after realising the state could be affected, and argued that states with successful population-control measures should not be punished.<\/p>\n Stalin dismissed Palaniswami\u2019s charge that his family was a \u201cpower centre\u201d, calling it imaginary and intended to divert attention from the DMK government\u2019s record. He also hit back at the AIADMK chief over criticism on women\u2019s safety and law and order, saying the Pollachi sexual assault case remained a reminder of the previous regime\u2019s failures.He alleged that the AIADMK lacked ideology or principle and said the Delhi BJP functioned as its headquarters. On delimitation, he accused Palaniswami of being \u201cmute\u201d and said the AIADMK leader was effectively backing the BJP\u2019s position.<\/p>\n Stalin described ED actions in the TASMAC and sand-mining cases as \u201cCentre produced, ED-enacted dramas\u201d and accused the agency of being turned \u201cservile.\u201d He said the alleged TASMAC scam and illegal sandmining cases were politically scripted.He also defended his government\u2019s welfare schemes, saying the women\u2019s monthly entitlement of Rs 1,000 and the breakfast scheme for schoolchildren were among the initiatives closest to his heart. He said the women\u2019s rights scheme would be raised to Rs 2,000 in the next term, while the breakfast programme would be expanded up to Class 8.This comes amid the run-up to the April 23 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections, with counting scheduled for May 4. Stalin said the DMK-led alliance had remained strong since 2019 and would also perform well in Puducherry, where polling was held on April 9.<\/div>\n\nWomen\u2019s quota row<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
Attack on EPS<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
ED and welfare claims<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n