TIRUCHIRAPALLI (TN): Marumalarchi DMK General Secretary Vaiko said Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa could not escape from her ‘anti-people’ attitude with hike in bus fare, milk price and power tariff blaming the Union Government for not granting the state additional funds.
Addressing the press here on Saturday, Mr Vaiko said the same Ms Jayalalithaa when she was in the Opposition had vehemenently opposed price hikes during the DMK Regime.
Though the Union Government had ‘continuously betrayed Tamil Nadu and its people on many issues like Mullaiperiyar Dam and Sri Lankan Tamils isssue,’the price hikes were in no way connected with the Centre, he alleged.
He said the party would hold a state wide demonstration in all the district headquarters on November 28 against price hike and at the one in Chennai, he will participate.
Mr Vaiko said the party would strengthen its base at the village panchayat level by nominating a secretary at all the village panchayat units and embark on a membership enrolment drive. The establishment of the party branches at all village panchayats across the state will be completed by December 31, next.
Referring to the Koodankulam Nuclear Power Project, he said the MDMK was continuously opposing this project, citing various nuclear disasters, including the recent one at Japan.
He took strong exception to a Union Minister remarks on the ongoing agitation against the Koodankulam Plant attributing it to missionaries and foreign money.
He also accused Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa of having played a double role in the issue.
On September 16, in a statement, she had assured the people of the safety of the plant. But when the agitation grew in strength, she assured the people of a cabinet resolution urging the Centre to give up the project.
She also appealed to the Centre not to implement the project till the people’s fears were allayed.Mr Vaiko also alleged the Centre was making all efforts for early operationalisation of the nuclear power plant not to help Tamil Nadu which was facing acute power shortage but to share the power generated with other states besides supplying power to Sri Lanka for which the Ceylon Electricity Board and Power Grid Corporation of India had signed an MOU, he alleged.
He said such anti-Tamil activities of the Union Government were intolerable.
Asked whether the MDMK will approach the opposition parties to field a common candidate in the ensuing by elections to the Sankarankovil (Reserve) Assembly Constituency, Mr Vaiko said ”we are going to contest the by-election and the party has been preparing for that.
Earlier, addressing the party office bearers advisory meeting, Mr Vaiko warned of the Kerala State Government was making efforts to dismantle the Mullaiperiyar Dam leaving about 2.18 lakh acre of land in South Tamil Nadu without irrigation and leaving five southern districts without drinking water. He further alleged the Kerala Government had earmarked Rs 40 crore to demolish the dam seeking America’s technical support for the job.
He said the MDMK with support of like minded parties, will lay a siege on the Tamil Nadu-Kerala border inside the Tamil Nadu on January 21 preventing the movement of essential commodities to Kerala from Tamil Nadu.
He said the proposed agitation will be peaceful and held in a democratic manner. (UNI)