The All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam began a campaign against the Centre for having reduced the allocation of kerosene to Tamil Nadu for distribution through ration shops.
The Minister for Cooperation and party urban district unit secretary, K. Raju, inaugurated the campaign by distributing pamphlets to the people at Jaihindpuram.
The pamphlets contained the Tamil translation of the letter Chief Minister, Jayalalithaa, had written to the Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, condemning the “unilateral and unjust” attitude of the Centre against Tamil Nadu.
Addressing the party cadre, Mr. Raju said that the Chief Minister had made higher budgetary allocation for various departments without burdening the common man with additional taxes. The State Government has increased the State stabilisation fund from Rs. 50 crore to Rs. 100 crore to contain the rising prices of essential commodities, he said.
However, the Centre has been cutting down the monthly allocation of kerosene to the State time and again. “The Union Government has been acting against the welfare of the poor of the State,” he said.
In her letter, the Chief Minister has mentioned that the monthly allocation for the first quarter of 2011-12 was 52,806 kilo litres. But it has come down at regular interval.
While the monthly requirement of kerosene for Tamil Nadu was 65,140 kilo litres, the monthly allocation for the first quarter of the current fiscal has been brought down to 29,060 kilo litres.
The Minister condemned the step-motherly treatment meted out to Tamil Nadu by the Centre and asked the people to vote for All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam in the next election to Parliament so that the State got its due from the Centre.
Deputy Mayor, R. Gopalakrishnan, party leaders, M.S. Pandian, Valarmathi Jebaraj, zonal chairperson, P. Salaimuthu, and several councillors were among those who were present.
