CHENNAI: Amid speculations about his exit from the NDA, former chief minister O Panneerselvam on Tuesday strongly condemned the Narendra Modi government at the centre for failing to release the Samagra Shiksha (SS) funds to Tamil Nadu.
In a statement, Panneerselvam said the delay in the release of funds is affecting students from BCs, MBCs, and SC/STs, as well as teachers. The centre should release the funds immediately, he demanded.
“Accepting the conditions for Samagra Shiksha funds is an issue between the central and state governments. But the centre’s refusal to release the funds has adversely affected the education of innocent, underprivileged students and the livelihood of teachers. This deserves strong condemnation. Such an action by the centre is against both the Right to Education Act and the principles of federalism,” Panneerselvam said.
Meanwhile, Panneerselvam has convened a meeting of the office-bearers of the AIADMK Cadres Rights Retrieval Committee in Chennai on Wednesday to chalk out the next course of action since he has been ignored by the NDA. Panruti S Ramachandran, advisor to the committee, has almost indicated that Panneerselvam is disillusioned with the NDA.