The Hindu : Front Page : State government to bear part of LPG hike

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Monday, Jun 16, 2008
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State government to bear part of LPG hike

R.K. Radhakrishnan

High-level committee to meet on June 17

— Photo: M. Vedhan

concludes on positive note: DMK president M. Karunanidhi and other senior leaders at the party’s women’s wing’s conference in Cuddalore on Sunday.

CUDDALORE: The State government has decided to subsidise the price of gas cylinder by Rs.30 for people having a single cylinder connection.

An announcement to this effect was made by Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi at the DMK’s women’s conference here on Sunday. This will cost the government Rs.100 crore each year.

The High Level Policy Implementation Committee of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam will meet in Chennai on June 17 to decide on the future and discuss recent political events, he said.

Speaking at the conclusion of the DMK’s first women’s conference here, he said the party could not work at the pace the media wanted. “I had made an announcement that the future would be decided after the meeting of the committee,” he said, adding that a section of the media and political parties have already begun to decide on the outcome.

Emphasising that the DMK was a democratic party where decisions were taken after elaborate discussions, he said that everyone would have to wait till the committee met. The Chief Minister had announced on Friday that the committee would meet to discuss if the party would still want to continue its alliance with the Pattali Makkal Katchi in view of that party’s constant personal attacks on DMK leaders and false allegations, including the latest one by the party’s founder, S.Ramadoss, that his phone was being tapped.

Overwhelming response

The Chief Minister said he was overwhelmed at the response the women’s wing conference evoked. He frankly told the gathering that he was not sure of the response for the rally and the meeting. But he had failed to gauge the mood of the women in the DMK. “I am happy that I have failed in front of you. There is nothing to be ashamed of in this failure. In fact, I feel proud,” he said and commended the organisers of the conference.

Mr. Karunanidhi, never easily satisfied with the achievements of any wing of the party, outlined their next job: the women’s wing should start reaching out to the people in the State to explain the policies and programmes of the government and the ideology of the party. He said it should function on its own, without any support from their male counterparts.

He said that the women should take an active part in enrolling members, organising debates, seminars and conferences in districts, blocks and villages in the State. Party general secretary K.Anbazhagan outlined the status of women over the centuries and explained the efforts of the Dravidian movement to correct the situation.

He was confident that the Bill to provide for 33 per cent reservation for women would get the approval of Parliament with the help of Mr. Karunanidhi

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