Food Minister R. Kamaraj on Tuesday said the people of the State rejected the claim of leadership vacuum by electing sufficient number of candidates fielded by the AIADMK in the recently held by-elections to enable the ruling party to continue to have a majority in the Assembly.
By returning 11 AIADMK candidates to the Assembly, the voters categorically indicated that there was no such vacuum in the State, he told reporters at Nannilam.
They also approved the present regime led by Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami and AIADMK coordinator and Deputy Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam as the government led by former Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa. The hue and cry on the issue was summarily rejected since it was the people who had to decide whether there was any leadership vacuum.
To a question on the strike by employees of fair price shops, he urged the protesters to call off their agitation since it would only affect the people at large. “Their demands are being pursued by the government and an amicable outcome is expected,” he said.
When his attention was brought to the alleged non-availability of urea for cultivation in delta districts, Mr. Kamaraj pointed out that the Agriculture Minister had already announced that sufficient quantity of the fertilizer was available at depots. Further, five private outlets were sealed by officials for indulging in malpractices that affected availability of urea to farmers, he added.
