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Chandy seeks Sonia's intervention for aid

Special Correspondent

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NEW DELHI: A Congress delegation from Kerala, led by Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, on Tuesday sought United Progressive Alliance (UPA) chairperson Sonia Gandhi's intervention in securing early Central assistance for pending projects in the State. Mr. Chandy also met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh with a similar demand.

Though Mr. Chandy and Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president Ramesh Chennithala were reluctant to divulge the details of what transpired at the meeting, the latter confirmed that the delegation sought Ms. Gandhi's intervention on three specific issues: voting rights for Malayalis living overseas, private airlines on the Kerala-Gulf sectorand necessary assistance to set up a low-cost Kerala Airlines.

Other leaders in the delegation included the former Chief Minister A. K. Antony, Finance Minister Vakkom Purushothaman, his predecessor K. Sankaranarayanan and Rajya Sabha member Vayalar Ravi.

At his meeting with the Prime Minister, Mr. Chandy discussed Dr. Singh's tour to Kerala in January to lay the foundation stone of the proposed LNG terminal in Kochi. He will also inaugurate a Global Education Meet during the visit.

According agency reports, Mr. Chandy held discussions with Dr. Singh as a follow-up to his talks with Finance Minister P. Chidamabaram on Monday on 21 pending issues.

It is officially learnt the Centre had agreed to sanction the arrears of the National Family Benefit Scheme. The Centre had also reportedly promised to help the Kerala Government by way of giving subsidy for export of pepper which was procured from the farmers under price stabilisation scheme.

Mr. Chandy also met Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil, Human Resource Development Minister Arjun Singh and Law Minister H.R. Bharadwaj and raised various issues which required Centre's approval and assistance.

During his meeting with the HRD Minister, he sought an Indian Institute of Science in Kerala, while he tried to impress upon the Law Minister about the need for setting up a High Court Bench in Thiruvananthapuram, sources said. He also sought immediate sanction of the second tranche of Centre's flood assistance during his meeting with Mr. Patil.

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