LS polls: AIADMK says its door is 'closed' for the BJP
Chennai, Feb 7: Tamil Nadu's main opposition AIADMK on Wednesday said it had already shut its door on the BJP and ruled out joining forces with the Saffron party for the Lok Sabha polls.
Following Union Home Minister Amit Shah's remark that 'the BJP's doors are open for the AIADMK,' senior party leader D Jayakumar said BJP's top leader Shah has spelt out his party's stand.
"Amit Shah has said the doors of his party are open for the AIADMK. As regards the stand of our party, the BJP was once a friendly party. Now, it is a party that we oppose out-and-out," Jayakumar, AIADMK's organisation secretary said.
Without naming Tamil Nadu BJP President K Annamalai, the AIADMK leader alleged that the Dravidian stalwart CN Annadurai and late AIADMK supremo J Jayalalithaa were belittled by him. Annamalai's criticism against such tall leaders continued despite his party strongly condemning it. "How can we accept it?, he asked, adding that the cadres and people were against joining hands with the BJP.
"When we severed our ties with the BJP, party workers burst firecrackers across the state; it showed the sentiments of our cadres; they do not want any alliance with the BJP."
Only reflecting such anti-BJP sentiments, last year, the party took a firm decision of having no alliance with the Saffron party 'at all the times to come.'
Jayakumar, a former Minister in the previous AIADMK regimes, said: "This party resolution, that there will never be an alliance with the BJP, was hailed by party workers and the people across the state. As far as we are concerned, we have closed our door on the BJP though they may keep their door open (for the AIADMK). We have closed our door to BJP. We do not want the BJP to come to us. This is our stand."
Asked if the AIADMK will reconsider its stand if the Saffron party took action against Annamalai for his remarks against Jayalalithaa, Jayakumar asserted 'there is no question of going back.' Ever since his party snapped ties with the Saffron party, former Chief Minister and AIADMK chief Edappadi K Palaniswami has been all along maintaining that there shall never be an alliance with the BJP.
In an interview to a Tamil daily, which was published on Wednesday, Amit Shah said the BJP's doors are open to the AIADMK for an alliance.
In September 2023, the AIADMK snapped its ties with the BJP, following Annamalai's alleged criticism of AIADMK icon Jayalalithaa vis-a-vis corruption allegations and Dravidian ideologue Annadurai for his 'anti-Hindu' comment made in the 1950s.
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Maharashtra sets up state vaccination task force to strengthen immunisation programme
Mumbai (PTI): The Maharashtra government has set up a State Vaccination Task Force to strengthen the regular immunisation programme and review the progress of related campaigns, a health department official said on Monday.
The State Vaccination Task Force will comprise at least 29 members and will be headed by the administrative head of the health department, he informed.
The government has also constituted separate district-level and municipal vaccination task forces to improve implementation and address challenges at the grassroots level, he said.
Municipal task forces, chaired by respective civic commissioners, have been constituted in view of the vast urban population in Maharashtra and the role of civic bodies in implementing different health programmes.
The district-level task forces will function under the chairmanship of collectors.
"Complete immunisation of children at the appropriate age is an extremely simple, cost-effective and highly effective measure to reduce child mortality and the prevalence of diseases among kids. Immunisation is a powerful tool for reducing illness in children," maintained the official.
To ensure full vaccination of all children, the state government implements various campaigns from time to time as per the central government guidelines, he pointed out.
"Active participation and cooperation of other relevant government departments are essential (in making these campaigns successful)," according to the official.
The state-level body will review the regular immunisation programme, associated campaigns and vaccine-preventable diseases in detail. It will also conduct focused assessments of high-risk districts and municipal corporations, including vacancies at district, municipal and sub-district levels, availability of cold chain equipment, resource gaps and training requirements, he noted.
The state task force will review allocation and utilisation of funds for immunisation and ensure timely action by officers concerned based on reports from district and municipal task forces and state-level monitoring mechanisms, the official said.
It will also ensure active coordination and participation of other government departments in immunisation drives, while district and municipal task forces will carry out similar functions at their respective levels, the official added.
