Tamil Nadu   

Uphold Assembly decorum: PMK

CHENNAI: Pattali Makkal Katchi founder S. Ramadoss on Sunday has called for upholding the decorum of the Assembly, urging members to avoid personal attacks of the kind witnessed during the recently-concluded session of the House.

Addressing presspersons here, Dr. Ramadoss made an appeal to the members to desist from incidents that brought disrepute to the House, and urged them to engage in dignified debates.

In this regard, he suggested live telecast of House proceedings on the lines of the Houses of Parliament, not just by the State-run electronic media, but by private channels as well.

Referring to the telephone tapping controversy, Dr. Ramadoss said he did not believe that Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi, a known advocate of democracy and freedom of speech, would issue such an order. However, the Government, instead of merely denying that it had anything to do with such an order, “could” clear the air by constituting a judicial panel to examine the issue, he said.

Disagreeing with Mr. Karunanidhi’s recent reference to “some misunderstanding” between the PMK and the DMK, Dr. Ramadoss said the PMK’s consistent stance had been to provide constructive criticism.

It supported the positive measures of the Government, but reserved its right to point out mistakes and even offer alternatives. Hence, there was no place to attribute criticism to a misunderstanding, he said.

The PMK chief alleged that the proposed public-private partnership for establishing housing colonies across eight Corporations, including Chennai, would only serve to benefit private realtors. While the move as such to provide housing was welcome, opting for a PPP overlooking the Government agency raises several eyebrows. Such a measure would hardly benefit lower-income groups, he said.

On the Sethusamudram project, Dr. Ramadoss appealed to the Union Government to shed its adamant stand when an alternative existed, as what was at stake was a long-nurtured dream for the all-round development of Tamil Nadu. He pointed out that the project had been cleared after all things were considered during the Prime Ministership of A. B. Vajpayee, and if the proposed route alone was a cause of objection, the Union Government should take the project forward along an alternative alignment.

Reiterating the demand for closing down liquor shops across the State in a phased manner, the PMK announced that it would take out an anti-liquor rally from Kanyakumari on February 26, which would conclude in Chennai on March 1.

The five-day campaign is to highlight the virtual desertion of prohibition, as advocated by leaders, from Mahatma Gandhi and C. N. Annadurai to Periyar.

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