Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK) and Dravida Kazhagam (DK) have strongly opposed the shifting of the Assembly to Fort St. George, as the new complex was constructed with the help of taxpayers' money.
In a press release, MDMK general secretary Vaiko said “if the new government decides to move the Chief Secretariat and Assembly to Fort St. George complex, rejecting the new Secretariat built at Omandur Government Estate using tax payers' money, then the question arises whether it would reject the structures built by the previous governments such as collectorates, court complexes, police commissionerates and flyovers also?” he asked.
Pointing out that the new Assembly complex was built in ‘haste' and the project cost had tripled over time, Mr. Vaiko said “it is not acceptable to change the Assembly. It is built using tax payers' money and hence the Assembly should continue to function from the new place.” This was one among the resolutions passed at the party's administrative council meeting held here on Tuesday. While welcoming the formation of Special Programme Implementation Department to oversee distribution of various freebies announced in the AIADMK's party election manifesto, DK president K. Veeramani said that when there was a change in power, there could be changes in schemes and laws. But it did not mean that the welfare schemes initiated by the previous regime should be ignored.
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He also wondered as to what was the need for shifting the Assembly to the old building in haste.
“Is it because it was built by the previous Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi? It is not his own building. Will the State government avoid using the flyovers built during the previous regime? Such an action would lead the common man to think that only the change in power had taken place and “not in heart.” The Chief Minister should reconsider her decision,” Mr. Veeramani said.