The Hindu : Kerala / Thiruvananthapuram News : Let Janata Dal (S) decide on re-entry, says Minister

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Saturday, Apr 18, 2009
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Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram

Let Janata Dal (S) decide on re-entry, says Minister

Special Correspondent

LDF has an open approach on the issue: Vijayakumar

Minister holds talks with Mathew T. Thomas
Says State has contingency plans for National Games

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Minister for Law and Parliamentary Affairs M. Vijayakumar said here on Friday that the national and State leadership of the Janata Dal (Secular) would together decide on the re-entry of party representative into the Left Democratic Front Ministry in the State.

The Minister was talking to presspersons after holding discussions with Mathew T. Thomas, JD(S) MLA who had earlier resigned as Minister following a dispute over seat-sharing. Mr. Vijayakumar said that the LDF had an open approach regarding the re-induction of a JD(S) member into the Cabinet.

He said that there would be no change in the plans to hold the National Games in the State though the State’s project to develop sports facilities had been held up. The State had contingency plans for holding the Games even if the infrastructure projects could not be completed in time. The Games should be held before the Commonwealth Games and Asians Games scheduled for 2010. He said that the clearance for the projects from the Centre was held up following announcement of polls. The Planning Commission had taken a positive stand towards funding the projects. They would be taken up even if the works could not be completed before the Games.

Vizhinjam issue

He said that further steps on tendering of the Vizhinjam International Transhipment Project would be taken after seeking the advice of the Advocate-General on the recent verdict of the Supreme Court.

The court had said that Zoom Developers which had approached it against the tendering process could approach the High Court. So, further litigation could not be ruled out. The government wanted to complete the process at the earliest.

The Minister said that agriculture scientist M.S. Swaminathan would deliver the first Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Lecture to be organised by the Institute of Parliamentary Affairs at the Press Club here on Saturday. Dr. Swaminathan would speak on ‘Agriculture Cannot Wait’ which was the title of an article by Jawaharlal Nehru.

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