Premallatha Vijayakant demands ₹10,000 as relief per ration card holder

DMDK's Premallatha Vijayakant demands ₹10,000 relief per ration card holder after heavy rains, criticizes GST, and discusses One Nation One Election.

DMDK general secretary Premallatha Vijayakant has called upon the state government to distribute ₹10,000 per ration card holder as relief after heavy rains affected several parts of the state.

Ms. Premalatha was speaking at a demonstration at Elampillai in Salem district, where she demanded protection for the weaving community from the Union and State Government. The weaving industry, she said, is in dire straits and imposing the Goods and Services Tax (GST) on them would only burden them further. She called upon the Union Government to either reduce GST or revoke it.

Urging the state government to distribute relief funds, Ms. Premallatha said that heavy rain had affected several districts in the State, and the government should have taken adequate precautionary measures. “The government knew heavy rains would occur in December, and proceeded to open the Sathanur Dam without a prior announcement, as a result of which Cuddalore district was flooded. People are now struggling to access basic amenities. While the Union Government needs to provide funds to the State, the State Government should also not keep complaining about the Union Government every time and should plan properly to protect the people,” she said.

Giving ₹2,000 to affected people is not enough. The government should provide ₹10,000 for each ration card holder and ₹1 lakh for each acre of affected farmland, the DMDK leader added.

Regarding the One Nation One Election bill in the Parliament, Ms. Premallatha said that the bill could determine the future of the country’s 140 crore people. The Union Government must provide a detailed explanation for the bill, and if other parties welcome it, so will the DMDK,” added Ms. Premalatha.

The DMDK leader condoled the passing of senior Congress leader E.V.K.S. Elangovan, and added that he was a lot like her late husband former DMDK leader Vijaykant in his outspoken nature and firm views. Erode East will now face another by-election, she added.