CHENNAI: DMK legal wing joint secretary I Paranthamen on Wednesday termed the Tamil Nadu Revenue Augmentation Committee, headed by economist Montek Singh Ahluwalia, a “sleeping committee” and questioned why it had not been convened despite the rise in prices of essential commodities.
He urged Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay to take emergency measures to control prices through the public distribution system and challenged Food Minister Venkataramanan to accompany him to a grocery shop and vegetable market to verify the price rise.
“During a crisis, when prices of essential commodities are rising, the chief minister should have convened the committee and sought its advice. But it remains a sleeping committee,” Paranthamen told reporters at Anna Arivalayam, alleging that the TVK government was not taking the issue seriously.
He said the government should consult officials and the concerned departments to devise immediate measures to bring prices under control. “During the DMK regime, we introduced the special PDS scheme and provided 15 essential commodities for `50,” he said.
Paranthamen also challenged the minister to visit a grocery shop or vegetable market with him to establish whether prices had risen, taking exception to the minister’s reported claim that rice prices have not increased.