Nayanar suggests fresh dates for talks

By Our Special Correspondent

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, FEB. 2. The Chief Minister, Mr. E. K. Nayanar, has said that the State would be suggesting that the talks on the Mullaperiyar issue between the Chief Ministers of Tamil Nadu and Kerala may be held in Thiruvananthapuram on any day between April 3 and 7.

Briefing presspersons after a Cabinet meeting here today, Mr. Nayanar said the Cabinet decided to communicate to the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, Mr. M. Karunanidhi, that the dates he had suggested for the talks (any day between March 10 and 13) were inconvenient to Kerala on account of the Budget session of the State Assembly. (Accordingly, a letter was sent to Mr. Karunanidhi later in the day).

Mr. Nayanar quipped that Mr. Karunanidhi was hurrying for the talks owing to political compulsions resulting from the forthcoming byelections in his State. He (Mr. Nayanar) had replied to all the letters from Mr. Karunanidhi on the Mullaperiyar issue.

The Chief Minister said the State Government was opposed to the move of communal forces led by the BJP to restructure the Constitution. The move was aimed at undermining the country's parliamentary democracy and secularism. The President, Mr. K. R. Narayanan, himself had criticised the move. All believers of democracy and secularism should line up against the move.

Mr. Nayanar said the Gujarat Government's decision to allow RSS workers in Government services, would lead to serious repercussions. The RSS was behind several communal clashes in the country. Encouragement of Government employees to join the organisation was equivalent to communalising the administration.

The Finance Minister, Mr. T. Sivadasa Menon, denied that the Principal of the S.N. College was forced to sign an agreement with the agitating students under duress. Mr. Nayanar denied that the principal was gheraoed and police had refused to act. The agreement, he said, was welcome. The principal and not the management was the disciplinary authority of the college and it was the principal who had agreed to take back the dismissed students. The terms of the agreement were the same as those agreed between him and Mr. Vellapally Natesan last week. The Cabinet named the former Chief Secretary, Mr. K. V. Rabeendran Nair, and the former State Public Services Commission's chairman, Mr. T. N. Savankutty, as members of the Justice Narendran Commission.

The Commission is to report on the representation of Backward Classes in Government services. Justice Narendran, as a one-man commission, had been asked to recommend on criteria for identifying the creamy layer among the Backward Classes.

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Section  : Regional
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