The DMK treasurer says he had taken up the State-wide tour programme only to listen to the grievances of people and not with an eye on the forthcoming Assembly polls.

Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam treasurer M.K. Stalin on Thursday said that he had taken up the State-wide tour programme only to listen to the grievances of people and not with an eye on the forthcoming Assembly elections.

Interacting with farm labourers at Kandiyur near here as part of his ‘Namakku Naame’ campaign, Mr. Stalin said touring the State to meet the people was not new to him and the DMK leadership. He had made several tours even when the party was in power.

The DMK had been following the practice for several years whether the party was in power or not. The current tour had helped him meet a cross-section of people, including women, farmers, self-help group members, fishermen, labourers, weavers, students and traders to get firsthand information about the problems and difficulties faced by them.

Referring to the prospects of samba crop in the delta region due to depleting storage in the Mettur dam, Mr. Stalin said farmers had been facing difficulty in irrigating their paddy fields because of lack of water supply. Instead of addressing the issue, Chief Minister Jayalalithaa had taken a sojourn to Kodanadu.

Asking people to get ready for a change, the DMK treasurer said the people should give a fitting lesson to the rulers in the elections. The DMK would take all steps to alleviate the sufferings of people.

Earlier, Mr. Stalin, attired in dhoti and shirt and a towel (thalaipagai) adorning his head, visited a paddy field and drove a tractor for a while amid cheers from party workers and others. He also interacted with a group of farm labourers, who were transplanting paddy in a field.

He started his tour at Kumbakonam on Thursday morning and met weavers of Thirubuvanam and received petitions. He also interacted with the students of various colleges at a marriage hall, where he garlanded the statue of former President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam on the occasion of his birth anniversary.