The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Pass Women's Bill without delay, AIADMK urges Centre

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Sep 13, 2006
ePaper

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Pass Women's Bill without delay, AIADMK urges Centre

Special Correspondent

Party for 33 per cent reservation in Parliament and other institutions

CHENNAI: The executive committee of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam on Tuesday urged the United Progressive Alliance Government to bring forward and pass the Women's Reservation Bill in Parliament without any delay.

A resolution adopted by the executive committee that met for the first time after the party's poll debacle, said women, who formed half of the society, should be provided 33 per cent reservation in Parliament and other institutions so that they could play their due role in a democratic system of governance.

It also commended party general secretary Jayalalithaa for earmarking 33 per cent of seats for women at all levels of the party.

Through another resolution, it accused the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam Government of converting the State into an "arsenal of extremists."

Though the State was a haven of peace during the previous AIADMK rule, robbery, murder, dacoity, flow of illicit brew, illegal sand quarrying, rice smuggling and bomb culture had become rampant under the DMK Government.

Cases foisted on

AIADMK activists

The executive alleged that cases had been foisted on the AIADMK activists and people who had not voted for the DMK were being harassed.

The AIADMK executive charged the DMK Government with failing to take any step to safeguard the fishermen of the State from continuing attacks by the Sri Lankan Navy.

The AIADMK had been adopting a consistent policy with regard to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam after the assassination of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.

However, it urged the State Government and the Centre to involve themselves in efforts to find a lasting solution to the issue.

Call for steps to check chikungunya

Calling for measures on a war footing to prevent the spread of chikungunya, it urged the State Government to immediately provide assistance to the affected people. The disease had so far claimed over 150 lives, it said.

Though the State Government had announced waiver of crop loan, efforts had not been made to re-capitalise the cooperative banks, the executive committee said.

It demanded that farmers who had already repaid the crop loan arrears of Rs.400 crore should be refunded. Loans to the tune of Rs.22,220 crore received by the farmers from the cooperative, nationalised and commercial banks also should be written off, it said.

The executive favoured linking of the southern rivers as a first step to link all the rivers in the country.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Tamil Nadu