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Journalism of Courage
CHENNAI, Feb 2: The Tamil Maanila Congress (TMC) on Tuesday demanded that the AIADMK ministers in the Vajpayee Government should step down if they really believe in opposing the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government at the centre for its policies on public distribution system (PDS) and other such important issues, failing which Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee should ask them to resign as they do not have faith in his ministry.
In a statement, TMC general secretary S Peter Alphonse, MP, and treasurer D Sudarsanam, MLA, deplored AIADMK general secretary J Jayalalitha’s attempt to fool the public as her ministers were party to Vajpayee Cabinet’s decision to increase foodgrain prices in the PDS and Jayalalitha is now condemning the same issue.
The price hike ofcooking gas, urea and PDS commodity issues apart, Union Law Minister M Thambidurai has announced that petrol and diesel prices will go up. On the one hand, it is a question of revealing a budget secret if the issue is discussed by the Cabinet. On the other, the locus standi of Thambidurai, who is the Law Minister, also arises when the announcement should have come either from the Finance Minister or Petroleum Minister, the TMC argued.
The price hike effected on the eve of the budget session and immediately before the meeting of the BJP coordination committee and its allies indicate the extent to which the BJP coalition has deteriorated in its functioning, the TMC leaders contended.
In TMC’s view, the political uncertainty prevailing since the BJP coalition assumed charge at the Centre last March will seriously damage the democratic structures of the country. While the commercial banks come under the portfolio held by Kadambur Janarthanan, an AIADMK representative in the Union Ministry, and he is in aposition to institute an inquiry into the affairs of Indian Bank, Jayalalitha’s outburst is meaningless, the TMC leaders said.
