Building pen memorial at sea is unnecessary, use money for welfare of T.N. says DMDK leader Premalatha

Tax payer money should be used for education, creating employment for the youth, women welfare and other projects, Ms. Premalatha said in Tiruchi on Friday, adding that the DMK had a long way to go in fulfilling its poll promises

The DMK government’s plan to build a pen-shaped memorial for former Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi in the Bay of Bengal off the Marina coast in Chennai was “unnecessary” and “unacceptable”, DMDK treasurer Premalatha Vijayakant said on Friday. 

The DMK government could instead utilise the ₹80 crore of tax payer money, for education, creating employment opportunities for the youth, women welfare, building good roads, environmental protection and other work for the welfare of the State, Ms. Premalatha told reporters in Tiruchi.

The DMK should also utilise the money to fulfill the promises it had made instead of spending for the memorial in the sea which was “unacceptable”, Ms. Premalatha said. 

Ms. Premalatha claimed that the DMK government had earned the “displeasure” of the people of the State and a “bad name” within a short time. There was nothing happening across the State for which the DMK government could be appreciated. The DMK government and the State Ministers had a lot of work to do to fulfill the promises the party had made.

To a query, she said the party’s decision to contest alone in the by-election to the Erode (East) Assembly constituency was nothing new as the DMDK had fought alone in several bypolls held earlier.