The Congress Legislature Party (CLP) would maintain healthy relationship with its senior partner, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) in the Tamil Nadu Assembly and strive for good floor coordination, newly elected CLP leader K.R. Ramasamy has said.
Having six wins to the Assembly to his credit, Mr. Ramasamy said the eight-member legislature party would toe in line with the DMK and play the role of responsible opposition party in the House.
The Congress would vie with the DMK in opposing the ‘anti-people’ policies of the ruling All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), while welcoming and supporting the government’s welfare and people friendly measures, he told The Hindu over phone on Tuesday.
Claiming that he was appointed CLP leader with the unanimous support of seven other party MLAs, the senior leader, who got elected from Karaikudi assembly segment, said all the party MLAs would work in unison to protect the welfare of the people and for the overall development of the State.
However, on policy issues, the party would act as per the guidelines of party high command, he said. He had served as whip and secretary of the CLP during his earlier stints and was twice appointed as the Chairman of Public Accounts Committee (PAC) by the government.
The ‘unassuming’ leader, who was born in Congress family, had been serving the party for nearly four decades, inheriting the legacy of his father Kariamanickam Ambalam, who represented Tiruvadanai assembly constituency in the state assembly for four terms since 1952.
After completing his school final, Mr Ramasamy became full time politician and had served as Chairman of Kannagudi Union. A protégé of former Union Minister and senior Congress leader P Chidambaram, he made his maiden successful electoral fray in Tiruvadanai in 1989 and went on to win the seat in the four subsequent elections.
After the delimitation and when his native Kappalur in Kannagudi Union was merged with Karaikudi assembly segment, he contested the 2011 elections from Karaikudi and lost the seat to AIADMK nomine Cholan Ct Palanichamy. In the just concluded elections, he won the seat, defeating AIADMK candidate and former MLA Karpagam Ilango.
