CHP Leader and Presidential Candidate Kılıçdaroğlu in Kırıkkale: I will build a Turkey where no child goes to bed hungry

CHP Chairperson and Presidential Candidate of the Nation Alliance Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu spoke at a rally organised in Kırıkkale today:

- "Kırıkkale was built as the centre of the integrated defence industry. Machinery and Chemical Industries were established here. Which party has a signature on constructing Kırıkkale as an integrated defence industry system? Thousands of people worked in the Machinery and Chemical Industry Institution, laboured hard, and brought decent income to their homes. Therefore, they were educated there; they sent their children to university, they educated their children at university, and they wanted them to have a job. If the necessary investments had been made in the Mechanical and Chemical Industry Organisation, if the necessary support had been provided, today this place, Kırıkkale, would be one of the biggest cities after Ankara."

-" There are subcontracted workers among us. I have a promise for you; the state does not employ subcontractors; you will see that I will recruit all subcontracted workers. But, for God's sake, does the state employ subcontracted workers? The state employs permanent workers."

- "No woman in this country will be without an owner. The social state will own every woman. And I have a promise for you. I will bring the Family Support Insurance. You will see, I will build a Turkey where no children go to bed hungry. I will remove the lunch box practice. No family's water will ever be cut off, and electricity and natural gas will never be cut off. If there is poverty in this country, it is not the poor who are responsible but those who govern the state."

- "I know that tradespeople are really in a complicated situation. The late Özal used to say 'Middle pillar' for tradesmen. There is no middle pillar left. They made the tradespeople miserable. Everyone is almost bankrupt. Therefore, the tradesmen say, 'We have no owners.' That's right; you had no owners. But Mr Kemal will be their owner too. We will establish a Ministry of Tradesmen. The stronger the middle pillar, the stronger the state will become."

- "When it comes to pensioners, workers and tradesmen, where is the money...? I know where the money is. I have worked in the state for 27.5 years. I have done the budget of this state for 27.5 years. I know where to make savings. I know very well what a social state is and what people with low incomes are. Money is everywhere. Turkey is a rich country. You will take the money and give it to gangs of five. You will take the money and give euros, dollars and billions to certain people you like. You will take the money and give 128 billion dollars to some people through the back door of the Central Bank. They think Mr Kemal will believe them. Will I believe them? They won't; they won't."

- "They say to us, 'Why don't you say the name of the terrorist organisation? Oh, brother, this is the height of ignorance! Why does terrorism happen? Terrorism is done so that 'everyone will say my name and advertise me'. Go to the Ministry of National Defence website, and go to the website of the General Staff. What does it say? It says 'separatist terrorist organisation'. We are also on the side of the state; we love our state, say the same thing, and say 'separatist terrorist organisation'. What should we say?"

- "Whoever supports terrorism, whoever is in favour of terrorism, whoever takes judges and prosecutors to the feet of terrorists, whoever calls martyrs 'heads'; may God damn them a thousand times."