The Hindu : Front Page : Sonia pleads for repeat massive mandate for DPA

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, May 06, 2006

Front Page

Front Page

Sonia pleads for repeat massive mandate for DPA

G. Satyamurty and Vimal Kumar

"Tamil Nadu needs a Government which cares for the people"

— Photo: A. Shaikmohideen

POPULARITY WAVE: Congress president Sonia Gandhi waving to the public at a meeting held at Tuticorin on Friday. Looking on is State Congress chief M. Krishnasswamy.

Coimbatore/Tuticorin: "Tamil Nadu should be ruled by the will of the people and not by the whims of an individual," Congress president Sonia Gandhi said here on Friday.

"It is time to free Tamil Nadu from the clutches of the corrupt and autocratic Government," she said while addressing a public meeting in Coimbatore.

She sought a "massive mandate" for the Democratic Progressive Alliance (DPA) on the lines of the one given by the people of the State in the Lok Sabha Elections. "Tamil Nadu needs a Government which cares for the people, agriculturists, artisans and various sections of society."

Charges denied

Ms. Gandhi dismissed the allegations of All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam general secretary and Chief Minister Jayalalithaa that the Centre had not been doing anything at all for Tamil Nadu. "We gave full support — financial assistance and allocations," she said.

Focussing on regional issues, she said the problems of tea growers had already been taken note of by the Centre. The remedial measures were delayed because of the elections. She promised that their demands would be fulfilled "in a little more time after the elections." She also promised to set up an information technology park in Coimbatore.

Speaking in Tuticorin, Ms. Gandhi said the State Government had needlessly adopted a confrontationist approach towards the Centre. Hence, the people should vote DPA to power to have a government that was in a perfect harmony with the Centre.

The AIADMK Government was "corrupt" and stood exposed at the end of its five-year rule, she said.

"A perfect relationship between the United Progressive Alliance government at the Centre and a DPA government in the State will help the people get more development schemes."

Though the UPA Government made "unprecedented" allocation for tsunami relief and implemented the Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme under which 90 per cent of the assistance was borne by the Centre, Ms. Jayalalithaa had accused the Centre of not doing anything for the State.

She criticised the State Government for impeding the progress of the Special Economic Zone, an initiative of the Centre, coming up in the region. It was the UPA which took steps to declare Tamil a classical language.

She said: "Certain people who were with us (DPA) till recently and had started talking against us now should be termed opportunists. I do not know why they kept silent all through these years and started speaking only now."

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