Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], October 31 : DMK MP Dayanidhi Maran on Monday claimed that many of the promises made in the NDA's manifesto for the Bihar Assembly election are inspired by the key welfare schemes implemented in Tamil Nadu by the 'Dravidian Model' government led by his party.
He also claimed that Prime Minister Modi's "anti-Tamil" remarks have been exposed as lies by "none other than his own alliance's election manifesto."
"Yesterday, while campaigning in Bihar, Prime Minister Modi accused DMK members of mistreating Bihari workers in Tamil Nadu. Yet today, the NDA's election manifesto itself recognises Tamil Nadu's achievements by adopting DMK government schemes as its own promises," he said in a statement.
The DMK MP said that the NDA's manifesto outlines several social welfare schemes similar to those in Tamil Nadu, such as nutritious breakfast in schools, support for women entrepreneurs, construction of 50 lakh new houses, and 125 units of free electricity for households.
In 2022, the DMK government launched the Chief Minister's Breakfast Scheme to provide breakfast to students in classes 1 to 5 in government and government-aided schools, aimed at improving attendance and learning outcomes. The BJP alliance has now announced that it will introduce a similar scheme in Bihar, he said.
"Under the Dravidian Model, the TN RISE initiative was launched to empower women as entrepreneurs by offering financial aid, market access, technology, and training. Inspired by this, the NDA's Bihar manifesto promises to 'transform women into entrepreneurs through the Mission Karodpati programme'," he said.
Following the DMK government's Pudhumai Penn Scheme, which provides Rs 1,000 per month to girls who complete schooling in government or aided schools and pursue higher education to encourage their academic progress, the NDA's Bihar manifesto promises a monthly scholarship of Rs 2,000 for all students from backward classes pursuing higher education, he said.
The NDA members in Bihar jointly released their manifesto 'Sankalp Patra' in Patna on Friday in the high-stakes assembly elections.
In the manifesto, the NDA has promised to provide over one crore government jobs and employment opportunities, conduct a skills census to provide skills-based employment, and establish mega skill centres in every district, transforming Bihar into a 'Global Skilling Centre'.
The voting for the 243-seat Bihar Assembly will be held in two phases on November 6 and 11, whereas bye-elections for eight seats across seven states and Union Territories will be held on November 11. The results for both will be declared on November 14.