AIADMK Accuses DMK of Election-Timed Revival of Free Laptop Scheme

Overview

• The AIADMK students’ wing staged a demonstration in Chennai on December 17 to protest alleged shortcomings in the DMK’s soon-to-launch laptop distribution plan.
• Party leaders claimed the government waited four years and announced the initiative only after colleges reopened, arguing the move seeks votes rather than serving education.
• AIADMK functionaries said, based on their information, the current plan would cover only final-year undergraduate students, unlike the broader coverage under the earlier Jayalalithaa-era scheme.
• Edappadi K. Palaniswami also challenged the government’s jobs record, alleging only about 50,000 posts were filled against nearly 75,000 retirements and disputing claims about MoU fulfilment translating into employment.
• The party contrasted its past investments in new colleges, polytechnics and a veterinary park with what it described as delayed welfare delivery by the DMK.