CHENNAI: In what appeared to be a tactical outreach from the ruling DMK to pull any fence sitters from the AIADMK towards itself amid ongoing speculations of internal differences within the opposition party and the possibility that it may ally again with the BJP, Highways Minister E V Velu underlined how Chief Minister M K Stalin has not shown any antagonism towards the AIADMK.
Speaking during the Assembly session on Tuesday, the minister recalled two particular instances to showcase the DMK president’s ‘magnanimous’ attitude towards honouring the legacy of late chief minister and AIADMK supremo Jayalalithaa.
Interestingly, as Velu spoke at length highlighting these aspects as part of the discussion on budgetary demands for his departments, the CM, who generally leaves the House a little early to attend to other important work, sat till the end even as the session got extended later than usual. The CM’s presence resulted in most ministers and the ruling party MLAs also being seated in the House till the session ended.
Velu first recalled the Tamil Nadu government’s renovation of Periyar E V Ramasamy’s memorial-cum-library in Vaikom in Kerala by the state government last year. He said that when he presented Stalin with an album of images of Periyar with various prominent leaders to be featured in the memorial, the CM spotted that Jayalalithaa was missing and inquired about a photo of her with Periyar.
“Initially, I said no such photo existed,” said Velu, who started his political career with the AIADMK. “But the CM insisted that he had seen one and instructed us to find it. After an extensive search, we found an image from a theatre event where Jayalalithaa had shared the stage with Periyar after donating funds. When I showed it to him, he emphasised that she was a former CM and directed us to include it in the memorial,” he said, to loud thumping of tables by DMK MLAs in appreciation.
The other was about the clearance of `6 crore of funds pending for the memorial for Jayalalithaa at Marina Beach. The minister said he informed the CM about the unpaid amount and asked whether it could be cleared. “He immediately questioned why I was even asking him (for approval) and instructed me to release the payment at once,” Velu said, to another round of cheers from the treasury benches.
Velu further pointed out that the DMK government has not stopped any projects just because they were initiated by the AIADMK. He highlighted how the majority funding for the medical colleges announced during the previous AIADMK government was ensured by the present government. “Our approach has always been inclusive,” Velu stated.
During the discussion, Velu announced various infrastructure projects planned by the highways and public works department across the state.