CHENNAI: Defending the Tamil Nadu government’s performance, DMK legislator Ezhilan Naganathan on Friday said the party has delivered nearly 85 per cent of its 2021 election promises, while attributing delays in fulfilling the remaining commitments to constraints posed by the Union government.
Speaking at a press conference held at Anna Arivalayam, the party headquarters, Naganathan stated that out of 505 assurances made in the 2021 manifesto, around 404 have already been implemented under the DMK’s governance model. He described this as a strong record compared to the previous AIADMK administration.
Drawing a comparison, he alleged that the AIADMK government’s execution rate of its 2016 manifesto commitments was below 33 per cent, portraying it as significantly weaker in delivering on promises.
Addressing pending assurances, the DMK leader said certain proposals could not be carried out due to obstacles arising from decisions and legislation at the central level. He maintained that the party has been transparent in explaining the reasons behind these delays.
Rejecting claims of discord within the ruling alliance, Naganathan asserted that the coalition remains united by shared ideology. He dismissed criticism of the DMK’s dominant role, describing it instead as a relationship rooted in mutual respect and cooperation.
He also criticised AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami for questioning the DMK’s alliance strategy, claiming that the opposition’s decisions were being influenced from New Delhi. In contrast, he said, the DMK alliance is guided internally by its leadership.
On the Union government’s recent reduction in excise duty on petrol and diesel, Naganathan termed the move politically motivated. He argued that such policy reversals are often driven by electoral considerations rather than long-term reforms.