The 2024 Lok Sabha campaign of the DMK appears to be woven from the fabric of a fairy tale realm. As their leaders speak, they unabashedly fabricate their accomplishments, aiming to sway the uninformed masses. This time around, the DMK scion and Minister of Youth Welfare and Sports Development boldly asserted that Canada had adopted their morning breakfast scheme, attributing its success to his father MK Stalin. Furthermore, he claimed that Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had recognized their endeavors.
DMK scion Udayanidhi Stalin, while campaigning in Omalur on 7 April 2024, in support of DMK candidate TM Selvaganapathi, highlighted several key achievements of DMK and made political observations on the opposition parties.
During his address at Omalur Bus Station, Udayanidhi emphasized the implementation of a breakfast program in government schools across Tamil Nadu, which has garnered attention and emulation from neighboring states like Karnataka and Telangana. Notably, he mentioned that even Canada, a wealthy nation, has taken note of and plans to adopt this initiative pioneered by the Dravidian model.
Udayanidhi said, “For the first time in India, a breakfast program has been introduced in government schools in Tamil Nadu. Seeing this, it has been introduced in the neighboring states of Karnataka and Telangana. There is a country called Canada, It is one of the wealthiest countries next to the US, Canada. The name of the prime minister of that country is Mr. Justin Trudeau, he is giving an interview on television four days ago, what does he say in it? In India, ‘There is a food program called the Chief Minister’s Breakfast Program in Tamil Nadu so that more children come to school, this program that gives importance to education, like the Chief Minister’s Breakfast Program in Tamil Nadu, I am going to introduce and expand this program in Canada’, like that they are introducing this program in Canada. This is called Dravidian Model Government. Not only Tamil Nadu, not only in the states of India, but all countries in the world, our Tamil Nadu government, Dravidian model government and our Tamil Nadu Chief Minister should be an example.”
Wow Goosebumps Vru… 🔥🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/QAq3YMcdSK
— Vishwatma 🇮🇳 ( மோடியின் குடும்பம் ) (@HLKodo) April 8, 2024
This incident attracted significant interest and went viral on social media platforms, as DMK scion and minister Udhayanidhi Stalin was misleading the public. Contrary to Udhayanidhi’s claims during his speeches and interviews, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau never specifically mentioned Tamil Nadu or credited the DMK or MK Stalin government. Instead, the official Canadian PM’s account stated that,”PM Justin Trudeau just announced the new National School Food Program to ensure kids, especially vulnerable kids, have access to healthy meals.”
PM Justin Trudeau just announced the new National School Food Program to ensure kids, especially vulnerable kids, have access to healthy meals. Learn how this program will help take pressure off of families and help kids reach their full potential: https://t.co/dpRvljgf0l pic.twitter.com/rr9LZh042C
— CanadianPM (@CanadianPM) April 1, 2024
Another falsehood circulated was the claim that the breakfast scheme originated under the leadership of MK Stalin’s DMK government in Tamil Nadu. However, this assertion proved to be untrue, as it was actually a recommendation put forth by Krishnaswamy Kasturirangan, stemming from the New Education Policy report submitted as early as 31 May 2019.
In contrast to the recommendations of the National Education Policy 2020 put forth by the Kasturirangan committee, the CM Breakfast scheme of Tamil Nadu, introduced by Stalin in the state assembly only in May 2022, commenced in Madurai on September 15 of the same year, coinciding with the birth anniversary of DMK founder CN Annadurai. The statewide expansion of this initiative was initiated later in Tirukuvalai, the birthplace of DMK patriarch M. Karunanidhi, on 25 August 2023. It’s worth noting that the Liberal government in Canada had pledged to implement a similar program in 2021. The Breakfast Club of Canada, a non-profit organization, has been advocating for such a scheme for over 30 years. Therefore, there is no direct association between Tamil Nadu’s breakfast scheme and Canada’s, nor is the DMK government’s initiative regarded solely as its own innovation.
This mirrors a similar misinformation spread by the DMK regarding the authorship of the mid-day meal scheme, wrongly attributed to former Chief Minister M Karunanidhi instead of former Chief Minister K Kamaraj.
“If I go to school, will you give me food to eat? I can learn only if I eat.” It was #Kamaraj and #TamilNadu that pioneered the midday meal scheme in 1955.A school drop out himself,Kamaraj was motivated to invest in the development of education in the state. The midday meal 1/n pic.twitter.com/FsMNLoTZUi
— AJ Singh (@Atamjit_Kisan) October 1, 2022
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