The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : It is `cheap politics': Vasan

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Mar 22, 2005

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

It is `cheap politics': Vasan

By Our Special Correspondent

CHENNAI, MARCH 21. There is no justification for the Chief Minister, Jayalalithaa's criticism of the Union Ministers from Tamil Nadu, the State Congress president, G. K. Vasan, said today.

Reacting to her charge that they had done precious little for the State, Mr. Vasan, in a statement here, said it had received substantial Central allotment for various welfare schemes and that many on-going railway projects got an impetus only after the United Progressive Alliance Government had come to power.

Listing the welfare schemes, Mr. Vasan said that to reduce congestion in Chennai, the National Highways Authority of India had taken up construction of flyovers and subways at many road junctions. About 1,569 km of roads in the State were being converted into four-way lanes.

For modernisation of the Nagapattinam port, the Centre had sanctioned Rs. 5 crores. In the recent railway budget, about Rs. 324 crores was allotted for the next financial year for conversion projects.

Ms. Jayalalithaa's attempt to gloss over these facts was nothing but "cheap politics," Mr. Vasan said.

Even if she did not thank the Centre, she should not obstruct the schemes.

`Lessons not learnt'

Mr. Vasan reminded her that the Centre had acted swiftly, extending immediate relief measures to the tsunami-affected.

He thought that Ms. Jayalalithaa would change her style of functioning after the All-India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam's defeat in the last Lok Sabha election. But she did not learn any lesson, Mr. Vasan said.

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