Chennai: Turning everyday household bills into political ammunition, the AIADMK has announced a state-wide campaign against the DMK govt titled ‘Vidiya Aatchi, Unga Veettu Bill Satchi’.AIADMK aims to turn `public anger’ over rising costs into electoral support with the campaign. AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami has instructed all 82 district units to convert `economic distress’ faced by families due to surge in electricity tariffs, property tax, milk prices and essential commodities into anti-incumbency sentiment against the DMK govt.
Senior functionaries and branch-level secretaries have been asked to go door to door and channel public frustration over rising costs against the govt. In his directive, Palaniswami asked cadres to print side-by-side comparisons of household bills under the AIADMK and DMK regimes and reachout to every household, especially women homemakers, a voter group the party sees as crucial. Calling the household expenditure list after the spike in cost as a “punishment bill”, he urged leaders to expose DMK’s “anti-people approach” through micro-level ward campaigns, particularly in urban areas. “This will definitely influence homemakers who manage household expenses,” said B Valarmathi, state women’s wing secretary. She cited the reclassification of apartment lifts as ‘commercial connections’, which sharply increased electricity bills. “These lifts are used by the elderly who cannot climb stairs. What was once a a necessity has become a burden for middle-class families. This pain will reflect in the elections,” she said, adding that the campaign would begin within the next couple of days. AIADMK hopes the campaign would add strength to the party’s ongoing attack on the DMK through social media posts, posters and local meetings. EPS has also instructed the party’s IT wing and functionaries at all levels — from former ministers to booth-level workers — to remain in continuous campaign mode. “Public response has been strong whenever our leader highlights the DMK’s tax hikes,” said AIADMK spokesperson and former minister Vaigaichelvan. Deputy general secretary K P Munusamy echoed the view, saying the issue of rising costs would remain central to the party’s election strategy.
