Centre discriminating against Kerala: Pinarayi Vijayan
Thiruvananthapuram, Oct 22: Accusing the Centre of discriminating against Kerala, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan Monday said denying permission to ministers from the state to go abroad for raising funds for flood relief works was the latest example of its bias.
Denying permission to the ministers and other stands taken by the Centre regarding flood relief works could only be seen as "moves" against Kerala, Vijayan, who returned early Monday morning after a five-day visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), told reporters here.
Charging the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government with discriminating against Kerala, the chief minister said the Centre should not create hurdles for any state.
Noting that disasters had struck other states also, he said when Gujarat was hit by natural calamities, permission was granted for accepting foreign aid.
"If Kerala was allowed to take assistance from other countries, it would have been able to raise a huge amount. But the central government did not allow it.
"It was in continuation of this stand that the Centre turned down the plea of the state to send its ministers abroad to mobilise funds from expatriates," Vijayan added.
He further said it was no secret that the UAE government had promised a Rs 700-crore aid for flood relief works in Kerala.
Following his visit, the state was hoping that it would be able to mobilise much more assistance, the chief minister said.
The issue of acceptance of aid from the UAE had triggered a row, with the Centre deciding not to accept it for relief work, even as the ruling Communist Party of India (Marxist)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) and the opposition Congress in Kerala had come out against the government's move.
While the Centre had approved Vijayan's foreign trip, it had declined permission to 17 of the 20 ministers from Kerala, who had also planned to visit different countries in the Gulf and Europe to mobilise funds.
Kerala had suffered massive damage in the torrential rains that lashed the state in August, claiming 493 lives and leaving a trail of destruction.
The LDF government in the southern state had decided to raise Rs 15,900 crore as loan from the World Bank, Asian Development Bank and other funding agencies to rebuild the prime sectors of the state.
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TN Assembly elections: Eight-month pregnant homemaker wins Thiru Vi Ka Nagar seat for TVK
Chennai (PTI): Before giving birth, she had already delivered a mandate—a symbol of hope for Thiru Vi Ka Nagar.
Echoing Delhi’s 2013 “common citizen” political churn associated with the rise of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), an eight-month-pregnant homemaker, M R Pallavi, has been elected as an MLA from Chennai’s Thiru Vi Ka Nagar constituency, emerging as one of the notable first-time faces of the Vijay-led TVK in the recently held Tamil Nadu Assembly elections.
In the narrow lanes of Thiru Vi Ka Nagar, a steady stream of media personnel has been making their way to Pallavi’s residence—a scene reminiscent of the result day in Delhi when journalists thronged the modest home of Rakhi Birla, who had won from Mangolpuri on an AAP ticket.
Pallavi, 36, a homemaker educated up to class XII, defeated the DMK candidate K S Ravichandran by a margin of 22,333 votes in the reserved Thiru Vi Ka Nagar Assembly constituency.
Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam emerged as the single largest party by winning 108 seats, while DMK and AIADMK got 59 and 47, respectively.
Pallavi’s victory has drawn attention due to her personal circumstances. She campaigned extensively while eight months pregnant, going door-to-door to reach voters.
According to local accounts, she even fainted once during the campaign but continued her outreach.
She has not spoken to the media following her victory, as doctors have advised her to rest. Her husband, Rajesh, briefly recounted her campaign efforts.
A self-professed admirer of actor-turned-politician Vijay, Pallavi joined TVK soon after its formation and is now among its first-time legislators.
Doctors have advised her to be hospitalised around May 20, as she is expecting her second child. Ahead of that, voters in Thiru Vi Ka Nagar have entrusted her with representing them in the state Assembly.
Political observers say the rise of candidates like Pallavi signals a possible shift in Tamil Nadu’s political landscape, with voters backing a new party and candidates from non-traditional backgrounds.
