CHENNAI: Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami and Leader of Opposition M K Stalin on Sunday blamed each other of hiding facts on the steps taken to end the ongoing transport workers’ strike.
The CM lamented that the statement released by Stalin on Saturday did not reflect what he had explained on the steps taken to fulfil the demands of workers and the wage revision when he called him over phone. “I explained that the minister (for Transport) and officers had 23 rounds of talks with the unions.
If the hike of 5.5% in 2013 is added to the present 2.44 multiplication factor revision offered, it works out to 2.57 multiplication factor which the employees clamour for,” he said in a statement.
He added that the maximum hike of salary will be around `11,361 and the minimum about `2,684; this is the highest ever so far as per the agreement. Without mentioning any of these and my request to him to explain these facts to leaders of the trade union affiliated to his party, the statement issued by the DMK stated that there was no response on our part. The statement is one-sided,” the CM rued.
Stalin denied the charges saying that the Chief Minister might be trying to hide the fact that I emphasised the demand for him to hold negotiations with representatives of the striking workers.
“When I told him to hold talks with the workers, he said the minister has been doing so. I said it will be better if he talked and asked why he was not doing it himself. Sometimes, he may be trying to hide this,” Stalin told reporters here.
He also downplayed his telephonic conversation with the Chief Minister, pointing out that he had in the past called on O Panneerselvam when he was the Chief Minister, accompanied by the Deputy Leader of Opposition. “I am discharging my duties as the Leader of Opposition,” he said.