Chennai: The main opposition AIADMK on Tuesday urged the DMK government to take legal steps for the premature release of Muslim prisoners who are in prison for over 20 years.

In its general council meet here, the Edappadi K Palaniswami-led Dravidian party, which severed its ties with the BJP in September this year, vowed to emerge victorious in all the 39 Lok Sabha constituencies in Tamil Nadu and the lone segment in neighbouring Puducherry in the 2024 general election.

In the executive committee and general council meet here, led by party general secretary Palaniswami, the party reiterated its demand of dual citizenship for Sri Lankan Tamil refugees in Tamil Nadu and urged the Centre to take steps to grant Indian citizenship to Tamil refugees.

The AIADMK accused the DMK of ‘wearing a fake mask of social justice’ and alleged that the state government has said that the ‘Rule of reservation’ will not be followed in the Transport department.

It condemned the DMK regime for its ‘opportunism’ and ‘betrayal’ over the Cauvery river water issue. Since the DMK is an ally of the Congress party, which is in power in Karnataka, DMK President and Chief Minister M K Stalin has bartered away the rights of Tamil Nadu on Cauvery issue, the AIADMK alleged in a resolution. Though Stalin took part in the INDIA bloc meet at Bengaluru recently, he did not take any steps in connection with the Cauvery issue. The party urged the Centre to secure the state’s rights on the Cauvery issue.

In another resolution adopted at the general council meet, the AIADMK blamed the DMK government for ‘not taking any steps’ for the premature release of Muslim prisoners though it had in its manifesto for the 2021 Assembly elections had assured steps for the release of Muslim prisoners.

DMK mouthpiece ‘Murasoli’ had said last month that ever since R N Ravi assumed the office of Governor, the kind of trouble he has been causing to the DMK regime was not small. A write-up, among other things, underlined that a file related to the premature release of prisoners was pending with him.

The AIADMK said it implemented welfare schemes for Christians and Muslims while it was in power in the state.

However, after assuming power, the DMK regime ‘blocked’ such schemes, the opposition party alleged and cited as a case in point the financial aid schemes for Jerusalem and Hajj pilgrimages.

The AIADMK flayed the ruling party over several other issues like not providing appropriate relief to farmers affected by recent heavy rains in several districts and for ‘diverting’ funds under the Special Central Assistance to Scheduled Castes Sub Plan, taking away job opportunities of SCs through ‘outsourcing’ route.

Slamming the DMK regime for not taking appropriate precautionary measures to tackle cyclone Michaung, the AIADMK urged the government to ‘wake up’ and ensure relief for all the affected people without any conditions.

Also it urged the Centre to provide necessary financial assistance to the State.

The AIADMK condemned the DMK regime for ‘hoodwinking’ the people by claiming to get the NEET cancelled for Tamil Nadu. Another resolution sought allocation of a seat in the Assembly for the AIADMK’s deputy floor leader RB Udhayakumar..

O Panneerselvam, before his expulsion from AIADMK was allotted that seat in his capacity as the main opposition party’s deputy leader. There was no change in the seating arrangement till the last Assembly session in November this year.

The party condemned what it termed the ‘bias’ of Tamil Nadu Assembly Speaker M Appavu and said the speeches made by the leader of opposition Palaniswami in the House were not broadcast in full.

Hitting out at the government for increasing electricity tariff and other taxes like property tax, the AIADMK said government employees and teachers are on protest mode as the DMK regime has not fulfilled the promises it made to them ahead of the 2021 Assembly election. The AIADMK reiterated that the DMK regime made ‘false promises’ that cannot be implemented.

The opposition party accused the DMK regime of indulging in ‘commission, collection and corruption’ and dubbed Chief Minister M K Stalin ‘a doll chief minister’ who is running an anti-people regime.

In total, 23 resolutions were adopted. A special resolution resolved to celebrate the centenary of former Chief Minister V N Janaki (1923-1996), wife of AIADMK founder M G Ramachandran.