The Hindu : Front Page : Karunanidhi thanks Sonia, Manmohan

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Jul 07, 2006

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Front Page

Karunanidhi thanks Sonia, Manmohan

Special Correspondent

M. Karunanidhi

CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi on Thursday described the Centre's decision to put on hold the divestment move in the Neyveli Lignite Corporation as a victory for "toil and truth."

Asked whether it was such a big issue that warranted the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam getting out of the Government, he said he accorded much importance to workers' issues.

In his letter to the Prime Minister, Mr. Karunanidhi said he was "extremely happy" over the "announcement keeping all disinvestment decisions and proposals on hold in quick response to the request made by me, alliance parties, labour force and the people of Tamil Nadu."

In another letter that expressed similar sentiments, he thanked Congress president Sonia Gandhi "for the timely efforts that you have taken in this regard. The workforce of the public sector in the entire country will always be grateful to the UPA Government."

Mr. Karunanidhi also thanked Union Finance Minister P. Chidambaram.

Later in the night, the Joint Action Council of trade unions and officers' associations of the Neyveli Lignite Corporation announced, before thousands of employees, the withdrawal of the two-day-old strike.

The gathering cheered the government decision and claimed it as a success for the employees' united efforts.

Neyveli town, which remained dispirited because of the total shutdown in the NLC from Tuesday night, sprang to life on hearing that the Prime Minister had put on hold the disinvestment proposal.

Those on night shift punched in attendance at 10 p.m., and the mining equipment and power units that remained idle for 48 hours soon started working.

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