On 10 October 2023, the Chennai city police apprehended over 700 contract nurses participating in a demonstration outside the Directorate of Medical Services (DMS) Campus. Their protest centered on seeking job regularization. During the protest, some nurses claimed to have been forcefully removed by male police officers, and a few even experienced fainting spells. The nurses resolved to persist with their hunger strike until their demands were addressed.
ஒப்பந்த செவிலியர்களை பணி நிரந்தரம் செய்வோம் என தேர்தல் வாக்குறுதி எண் 356 ல் கொடுத்து வெற்றி பெற்று இன்று அந்த தேர்தல் வாக்குறுதியை நிறைவேற்றித் தருமாறு கேட்டுப் போராடும் செவிலியர்களின் நிலை.
குண்டுக்கட்டாக தூக்கிச் சென்று கைது செய்யப்பட்ட தொகுப்பூதிய செவிலியர்கள்.
திடீரென… pic.twitter.com/7wjxL9csNz
— Hari Prabhakaran (@Hariindic) October 10, 2023
One of the nurses said, “The DMK government came into power promising us permanent employment. It’s been 2 years, and they haven’t fulfilled that commitment.” Another detained nurse, G Sasikala, pointed out, “We were assured a monthly salary of ₹18,000. However, a significant number of us still receive only ₹14,000.”
பொய்யான வாக்குறுதிகள் கொடுத்து ஆட்சிக்கு வந்த திமுக, ஒவ்வொரு துறையிலும் வாக்களித்த மக்களை வஞ்சித்துக் கொண்டிருக்கிறது. திமுக வாக்குறுதி எண் 356ல், ஒப்பந்த நியமன முறையில் பணியாற்றும் மருத்துவர்களும் செவிலியர்களும் பணி நிரந்தரம் செய்யப்படுவார்கள் என்று கூறி, ஆட்சிக்கு வந்து இரண்டரை…
— K.Annamalai (@annamalai_k) October 10, 2023
K. Annamalai, state president of Tamil Nadu Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) tweeted pointing out promise number in the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam(DMK) manifesto, “The DMK, which came to power on false promises, is deceiving the people who voted in every field. The DMK, in its promise number 356, has betrayed the doctors and nurses working on contract appointment system by not taking any steps even after two-and-a-half years of coming to power.” K Annamalai also highlighted the DMK’s unfulfilled promise regarding the teacher issue in his tweet.
Teacher’s Protest
On December 27, approximately 3,500 Secondary Grade Teachers (SGTs) initiated an indefinite hunger strike outside the Directorate of School Education. They were urging Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin to honor his electoral commitment of providing fair compensation for the same amount of work.
J Robert, the general secretary of the Secondary Grade Seniority Teachers’ Association (SSTA), stated, “It has been 20 months since the DMK assumed power, and despite our persistent efforts, our single demand remains unmet. As a result, we have decided to stage another determined and continuous hunger strike.”
In the 2021 Assembly elections, the DMK had promised to reinstate the previous pension scheme if they were victorious. However, the Tamil Nadu Finance Minister at the time, PTR Palanivel Thiagarajan, addressed the Assembly in 2021 and explained that the state’s financial situation was fragile, making it difficult to commit to reviving the old pension scheme. He voiced worry that offering everything, including pensions, for free to all citizens could potentially push the state into financial instability. Additionally, he drew a parallel between pensions and freebies, causing frustration among teachers and government employees.
Despite being given attention through rising salaries and additional allowances over the years, the failure to fulfill promises and the ongoing protests underscore the repercussions of political opportunism.
NEET Drama
The DMK, as per their manifesto promise number 160, pledged to abolish the NEET upon coming into power.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin and his MLA son Udhayanidhi Stalin conducted extensive campaigns across the state, emphasizing that their initial action would be to prohibit NEET. However, they have fallen short of this commitment.
No Reduction In Gas Cylinder Prices
In its 2021 election manifesto regarding gas cylinders, the DMK mentioned in their promise number 503, “The central government has been consistently raising the prices of domestic cooking gas cylinders, imposing a substantial burden on the poor and middle-class citizens. DMK urges the central government to abolish the GST tax on cooking gas to alleviate this burden on the poor and middle class. We commit to offering a monthly subsidy of ₹100 per cylinder to every family cardholder.”
In August of this year, the Union Cabinet announced a substantial reduction in the price of the 14.2 kg LPG cooking gas cylinder by ₹200. This reduction was introduced as a special gesture to mark the approaching festivals of Raksha Bandhan and Onam. The DMK government’s inability to fulfill the promised subsidy, despite more than 2 years in office, has drawn criticism and negative scrutiny.
Magalir Urimaithogai Thittam
The Tamil Nadu State government, under the leadership of the DMK, had committed during their election campaign to provide a monthly financial assistance of ₹1000 to every woman in the state. However, despite the enthusiastic promises, the implementation of this initiative did not commence immediately after the government took office. The government proudly declared that over 1.06 crore women who were heads of families were eligible for this program. However, it later became evident that not all applications were processed, and many eligible women who had applied did not receive the promised financial aid.
This poll promise is not mentioned in the manifesto but was announced separately.
Savukku Shankar, a political activist highlighted the rise in prices of essential goods in last two months and tweeted, “The impact of the ₹1000 rupee honorarium has been notable, especially in the context of recent government actions to increase various rates over the past two months. These increments encompass a range of areas, including ghee, liquor, guideline value, and now road tax.”
1000 rupee honorarium effect. Govt has been hiking various rates in the past two months. Ghee, liquor, guideline value and now Road Tax https://t.co/nBgSPc1Pi5
— Savukku Shankar (@SavukkuOfficial) October 12, 2023
As the 2.5 year mark since the DMK assumed power in Tamil Nadu in 2021 approaches, the repercussions of their unfulfilled promises and opportunistic rhetoric to secure public votes are becoming evident and troubling for them.
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