The Congress Legislature Party (CLP) would maintain healthy relationship with its senior partner, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), in the Assembly and strive for good floor coordination, the newly elected CLP leader K R Ramasamy has said.
Having won the Assembly elections six times, Mr. Ramasamy said the eight-member CLP would play the role of a 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) and at the same time support the government’s welfare and people-friendly measures, he told The Hindu over phone on Tuesday.
Claiming that he was appointed the CLP leader with the unanimous support of seven other party MLAs, the senior leader, who got elected from the Karaikudi constituency, 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.
He had served the party for nearly four decades and inherited the legacy of his father Kariamanickam Ambalam, who represented Tiruvadanai Assembly constituency for four terms since 1952.
After completing his school, Mr. Ramasamy became a full time politician and served as the Chairman of Kannagudi Union. A protégé of former Union Minister and senior Congress leader P Chidambaram, his maiden successful fray was in Tiruvadanai in 1989. He went on to win the seat in the four subsequent elections.
After the delimitation and when his native place Kappalur in the Kannagudi Union was merged with Karaikudi Assembly segment, he contested the 2011 elections from Karaikudi and lost the seat to AIADMK nominee Cholan Ct Palanichamy.
In the just concluded elections, he defeated AIADMK candidate and former MLA Karpagam Ilango.
