THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Kerala Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan on Sunday criticised the stand adopted by Leader of the Opposition Oommen Chandy and Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee president Ramesh Chennithala on the Professional Colleges Act issue.

Addressing a press conference here, he pointed out that the Opposition had gone with the Government in passing the Bill in the recent Assembly session. Outside the Assembly, however, both Mr. Chandy and Mr. Chennithala were asserting that the Act's provisions were against minority community interests. "Their stand is calculated to help the commercial interests in the education sector. Do they actually want to let the college managements fleece the poor students," he asked. He said he was pained to see religious heads raising the banner of revolt against the Government on this issue. "They too are judging it only from the side of the college managements. The community as a whole does not figure in their thoughts when they oppose the Bill."

Centre's assurance

Mr. Achuthanandan, who returned to Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday after meeting the Prime Minister and other Union Ministers to press several vital demands of the State, said he was happy with the response he had received in New Delhi during his two-day stay there along with seven of his Cabinet colleagues. He said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had promised to visit Kerala soon after the current session of Parliament. The State had invited Dr. Singh to lay the foundation stone for the Vizhinjam port project. This project requires the political clearance of the Union Government (since it is to be executed by a consortium having Chinese participation) and the Vallarpadam Container Transhipment Project is awaiting environmental clearance. The Union Ministers promised the ministerial team from the State that action on these issues would be expedited. A big gain from the visit was the assurance the team received from the Union Government that three districts in the State would receive assistance for farmers. Thirty-one districts spread across the country were selected earlier for aid under this programme and only Wayanad district in the State had found a place in the original list. Kasaragod and Palakkad districts were being newly included in the list. The State would press the case of Idukki district also.

Establishing a satellite institution of the Chennai IIT in Kerala and including the Professional College Bill in the Ninth Schedule of the Constitution were some of the other demands placed before the Centre.

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