CHENNAI : Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam on Monday said the newspapers owned by opposition parties had quoted out of context, the speech of his son and Theni MP, P Raveendranath Kumar. He declined to answer a question as to whether his son made such a remark with an eye on a berth in the Union Cabinet. Panneerselvam said this while answering queries of reporters at Thiruverkadu, on the sidelines of a function of a construction firm.
“Generally, the newspapers owned by opposition parties do not carry the full speech but highlight a portion of it, leaving what we say before and after, and blow out of proportion whatever we say. The remark made by P Raveendranath Kumar was highlighted in the same way. If you listen to his full speech, one can understand that whatever explanation given by him, was correct,” the deputy chief minister added.
On Tuesday (September 3), speaking at the Vinayaka Chathurthi celebrations at Chinnamanur in Theni, Raveendranath Kumar said,”We all should first realise that we are all Hindus. All other identities come later. Only then, we can make a strong and united India.”
Asked about the neglect of Tamil language in Railways examinations, Panneerselvam said, “Whatever late leader Anna (CN Annadurai) professed, will continue to be our language policy. We will continue to press the Centre for resumption of conducting examinations in Tamil too.”
On reports of the Tamil Nadu government holding talks with Kerala on inter-state disputes on September 26, Panneerselvam said the talks were yet to be finalised. Earlier, speaking at the function, Panneerselvam said, “At present, the registration fees on property transaction stands at 11%. There is a demand for reducing the same. Steps will be taken for this in consultation with CM Edappadi K Palaniswami.”