The Hindu : CPI participation issue-based, no political support to DMK

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Mar 15, 2003

Southern States

Southern States - Tamil Nadu

CPI participation issue-based, no political support to DMK

By Our Staff Reporter

Dharmapuri March 14. The CPI participation in Wednesday's meeting organised by the DMK to discuss "misuse" of the Prevention of Terrorism Act was issue-based and cannot be considered an indication of the party extending political support to it, the State Secretary, R. Nallakannu, told reporters here today.

The CPI had been opposed to the POTA right from the beginning on the ground that the existing rules were adequate to handle terrorism. Its "misuse" was predicted even before the introduction of the legislation. But those who supported the law now fell victim. The MDMK leader, Vaiko, had been in prison for the past 200 days and the NDA Government, of which his party is a constituent, failed to come to his rescue in spite of all indications that "his arrest was a sheer case of political vendetta". Similar was the fate of the Tamilar Desiya Iyakkam leader, P. Nedumaran.

It was unfortunate that Mr. Vaiko was arrested for a speech he made 10 years ago. With the AIADMK Government ``wreaking vengeance on Opposition MLAs, booking cases such as attempt to murder'', the CPI was keen on "thwarting the danger posed to democracy by the POTA".

On the Government's proposed move to sell off cooperative sugar and spinning mills, Mr. Nallakannu said there were numerous units, which were making profits and the proposal was "ill-conceived". Demanding that a White Paper be presented on the functioning of the cooperative spinning and sugar mills, Mr. Nallakannu asked when private players could run enterprises successfully, what prevented the Government doing so.

Critical of the high expenditure involved in the Chief Minister's visits to districts, the CPI leader said the Government, which under the "pretext of reducing expenditure" had removed thousands of highway workers from their jobs, was now spending Rs. 2 crores-Rs. 3 crores per district on holding functions for inauguration of development works, which had no "relevance to the public nor did they help in employment generation".

The AIADMK Government had "stopped with declaring 28 districts drought-hit under Opposition pressure" and had done nothing to alleviate their problems.

There was acute drinking water scarcity in most of the districts, and as a fallout of drought, migration was snowballing into a crisis. While farmers were yet to be provided any relief for crop damage, they were being harassed to pay up land revenue and crop loans. Nothing concrete had come of the Central team's visit to the drought-hit areas.

Condemning the State and the Centre for "pursuing anti-people policies", the CPI, as part of a national programme, was undertaking a "yatra" from Kanyakumari, Manipur, Goa and Kashmir on April 8.

It would conclude in New Delhi on May 8.

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