Rahul Gandhi to legally face FIR over Ambedkar protest: Stalin

Coimbatore (Tamil Nadu), Dec 20 (PTI) In consultation with INDIA bloc leaders, a decision will be taken on taking forward the protest against Union Minister Amit Shah for his Ambedkar remarks, Chief Minister M K Stalin said here on Friday.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will legally face the case against him in connection with the fracas on Parliament premises, he said. An FIR against Rahul Gandhi had been filed by Delhi police on a BJP complaint.

Stalin, against the backdrop of his Erode visit and interaction with the people there, told reporters that he had an inkling of crossing 200 Assembly seats in 2026 state polls, while the DMK had a goal of winning 200 out of 234 seats.

At a state event in Erode, CM inaugurated projects worth Rs 951.20 crore and laid foundation stone for Rs 133.66 crore worth new schemes.

Stalin also gave away welfare assistance to people marking commencement of distribution of a total of Rs 284.02 crore worth support to 50,088 beneficiaries.

He also slammed AIADMK top leader and Leader of Opposition Edappadi K Palaniswami for uttering lies and for not taking on the Centre over the tungsten mining issue.

In his address at the official function, the CM made 8 new announcements, including developing roads in Erode, Anthiyur, Gobi, Modakurichi and Perunthurai at an estimated cost of Rs 100 crore. New buildings for police and fire and rescue department offices, combined drinking water schemes forms part of other announcments.

In view of 'heartburn' due to public support for the DMK, the AIADMK chief and, Edappadi K Palaniswami was 'lamenting' continuously, Stalin said and alleged that he was uttering lies since he had no issue to blame the government and it was unbecoming of his position as the leader of opposition.

In this context, the CM referred to the recent cyclonic storm Fengal and Palaniswami's allegation that Sathanur dam was opened without sounding alert in advance. He said only due to the warnings, loss of lives on a large scale was averted.

On the issue of tungsten mining, Palaniswami was only blaming the state government rather than censuring the union government which granted the mining rights to Hindustan Zinc Limited.

The CM alleged AIADMK leader also dodged the question of his party supporting an amendment in Parliament that facilitated nod for tungsten mining.

Stalin claimed that the AIADMK had no guts to question the Centre, for taking away state's rights, in Rajya Sabha where it had members. "What is the reason for this fear? he asked and added that it was because the AIADMK had something to be afraid of the Centre.

Speaking on the implementation of flagship schemes of the DMK regime and its beneficiaries in Erode district, Stalin said 4.90 lakh women received Rs 1,000 per month assistance and 46,355 children benefited under the CM's Breakfast Scheme.

The other schemes he mentioned includes the Puthumai Penn Scheme (PPS), aimed at enhancing the higher education enrolment ratio of girls and Tamizh Pudhalvan Scheme (TPS), an initiative to support boys in undergraduate courses who studied in government and state-aided schools in Tamil medium.

The CM said that under the PPS and TPS, 10,000 girls and 12,407 boys are benefited respectively in Erode district and both initiatives provided Rs 1,000 per month to beneficiaries.

Job opportunities were provided to 7,630 aspirants through 67 job fairs and he handed over the medical kit to the 20 millionth (2 crore) beneficiary on December 19, 2024 under the Makkalai Thedi Maruthuvam (Healthcare at people's doorstep) scheme and this initiative had 6 lakh beneficiaries in Erode.

Outlining several other initiatives in the past 3 years, including housing pattas, consecration ceremonies in 75 temples and infra-related work, the CM said, "since we give such schemes continuously, you too give us continuous (electoral) victories, the principal opposition party (AIADMK) is unable to tolerate such victories." PTI