DMK copied 42 of our poll promises, says S Ramadoss

Chennai: PMK founder Dr S. Ramadoss on Friday accused DMK of copying assurance given by his party in the first of its kind draft election manifesto released in September last year.

“The DMK has copied 42 schemes, lifting them from our draft manifesto. This includes implementation of  prohibition, establishing Lok Ayukta, Right to Service Act and  appointing a panel to the Chief Minister to advise on economic  affairs,” he told reporters after releasing his party’s manifesto for the May 16 Assembly  polls.

Establishing a Coconut Industrial Park at Pollachi, waiver of cooperative farm loans, and setting up of cold storage facilities in all the 32  districts were other schemes “literally lifted” by DMK from  PMK’s draft manifesto, he alleged. When asked whether it was a case of two parties thinking alike, Dr Ramadoss said that if DMK was really serious about these issues,  they could have done it earlier considering “he (Karunanidhi)  had been Chief Minister five times.”

PMK’s chief ministerial candidate Anbumani Ramadoss sarcastically remarked that the first part of the  manifesto (the draft), was released in September last year “the second one  in Anna Arivalayam (DMK headquarters) last week and the final  one today.” DMK had released its party manifesto for the May 16 Assembly elections on April 10.