Southern States - Tamil Nadu

Look ahead, stop blaming DMK Govt.: Anbazhagan

By Our Special Correspondent

CHENNAI April 8. ``Look ahead, or you may lose the race,'' the Leader of the Opposition, K. Anbazhagan, cautioned the AIADMK today, countering its persistent criticism of the erstwhile DMK regime for the financial crisis facing Tamil Nadu.

Winding up the week-long budget debate in the Assembly, Mr. Anbazhagan said elected governments were like contestants in a relay race. ``If you look behind and criticise the previous Government which passes the baton, you will only end up losing the race''.

In a nearly one-hour speech, remarkably free of interventions or noisy protests from the Treasury Benches, Mr. Anbazhagan urged the Government not to accuse the former DMK regime of having frittered funds on welfare schemes. For, economic approaches had drastically changed since 1960s when the then Finance Minister, C. Subramaniam, was stoutly opposed to the government taking loans from financial institutions. Now, deficit budgets and debts incurred for social infrastructure schemes were being welcomed. Hence, even if the various welfare schemes pursued by the DMK regime had led to a debt burden, the present Government should ``happily bear it'', Mr. Anbazhagan said.

`Free saree, dhoti scheme'

Pointing to the over Rs. 1000-crore cut in allocation of grants for local bodies, Mr. Anbazhagan said it would badly affect their functioning. The government attempt to blame it on reduction in fund allocation by the Centre was not acceptable. For, the Union Government had reduced the allotment by Rs. 500 crores, while the local bodies had been deprived of over Rs. 1000-crore grants.

Referring to media reports on scrapping of the multicrore, free dhoti, saree scheme, he said the stocks were lying in godowns and weavers were not paid their dues. Abandoning the scheme would not only affect the poor beneficiaries but also the weavers who depended on it for their survival.

Urging the Government to review its decision to stop supply of eggs to noon meal children, Mr. Anbazhagan said potatoes would not provide the required nutritional inputs.

The Leader of the Opposition was critical of the Government for levying a two per cent sales tax on even staple food such as rice and wheat. Widening the tax base by bringing even essential commodities, Siddha drugs and silk sarees under levy would only attract public criticism, without yielding much revenue.

While faulting the Government for having shut down direct purchase centres in the delta districts, he said the small farmers would be driven to suicide if fullscale procurement of paddy did not continue. The farmers were resorting to distress sale of paddy at Rs. 200 less than the procurement price fixed by the Government, he said.

Taking a dig at the ``confusion'' in the AIADMK policy on prohibition, Mr. Anbazhagan said allowing bars in wine shops was tantamount to giving ``recognition and respect'' to tipplers.

Finally, in a gentle parting shot at the AIADMK, Mr. Anbazhagan said the budget had failed to translate the Chief Minister's 15-point policies into tangible schemes.

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Southern States

News: Front Page | National | Southern States | Other States | International | Opinion | Business | Sport | Miscellaneous |
Advts: Classifieds | Employment | Obituary |

Stories in this Section

• Get us better deal, Ponnaiyan tells DMK
• A budget for `overall development'
• Look ahead, stop blaming DMK Govt.: Anbazhagan
• Stalin may prefer Mayorship
• Fire destroys varsity lab
• 16 die in bus smash near Tiruchi
• Traders divided over bandh
• Kiran Bedi for holistic approach to prison reforms
• Bone found in Silent Valley
• Mullaiperiyar case: SC allows transfer of petitions
• Strange noise doesn't mean bugging, CM tells SRB

Copyright © 2002, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu