MDMK MP Vaiko to launch 'Samathuva Nadai Payanam' from Tiruchirappalli, TN CM Stalin to flag off yatra

Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], January 2 (ANI): MDMK General Secretary Vaiko will commence his 'Samathuva Nadai Payanam' (Walk for Equality) from Tiruchirappalli here on Friday. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK President M.K. Stalin will formally flag off the yatra.
The walk aims to promote social justice, equality, and secular values and will cover several districts across Tamil Nadu. It is scheduled to conclude in Madurai on January 12.
Prominent leaders expected at the launch event include VCK Chief Thirumavalavan MP, MDMK Principal Secretary Durai Vaiko MP, and Tamil Nadu Ministers K.N. Nehru and Anbil Magesh Poyyamozhi, along with other alliance party leaders and cadres.
Observers note that the yatra is a significant political and social initiative, coming ahead of key political developments in the state, and is likely to attract attention from both supporters and political analysts alike.
Earlier, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin Tamil Nadu on December 26 launched and inaugurated a series of development projects worth over Rs 1,700 crore in Kallakurichi district, while strongly criticising the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and asserting that Tamil Nadu has emerged as a model of inclusive growth under the Dravidian model of governance.
Addressing a public gathering in Veeracholapuram, Stalin laid the foundation stone for new projects worth Rs 386.48 crore, inaugurated completed works worth Rs 341.77 crore, and provided government welfare assistance worth Rs 1045.41 crore. Under various departments of the government, a total of Rs 1,773 crore and 68 lakhs were completed, new projects worth Rs 1,773 crore were laid, and welfare schemes were provided.
The Chief Minister said, "The BJP-ruled states are a different India, with poverty, religious violence, murders, and unemployment, and the India of the BJP is the only one."
He added that "no matter how many slaves the BJP, which is doing religious politics, recruits and beats up, it cannot incite religious fanaticism among the people of Tamil Nadu, who live in unity."
Highlighting welfare initiatives, Stalin said over 3.18 lakh women in Kallakurichi are benefiting under the Kalaignar Women's Rights Scheme, while nearly 46,000 students from 741 schools receive benefits under the breakfast scheme. He added that over 28,000 people have benefited under the Thayumaanavar scheme, 3,834 youths under the Naan Mudhalvan initiative, and 1,694 female students receive monthly financial assistance.
He also said women in the district have availed free bus travel over 11 crore times. The Chief Minister further pointed to industrial growth, stating that a Rs 2,302 crore industrial unit in Ulundurpet has created employment for around 20,000 people. He added that Tamil Nadu continues to attract foreign investment and has strengthened sectors such as education, public transport, sports, heritage conservation and nutrition for children. (ANI)