Congress plans ‘reach people’ project

To shore up the party’s image in Tamil Nadu, especially after being strongly criticised for its stand on Mullaperiyar, Koodank-ulam and Tamil fishermen, the state Congress unit has decided to conduct a series of awareness programmes on the Central government’s welfare schemes to reach out to people of the state.

The TNCC, its president B.S. Gnanadesikan told reporters here on Saturday, has planned to pick and choose platform speakers and then train them to create awareness among the people about the Congress-led government’s several welfare schemes.

“It is the responsibility of the state units to take them across to the people,” he said, adding that the selection of speakers would be held at the end of this month while the two-day training programme would be conducted in the first week of February.

Describing the enactment of senior citizens’ Act as “revolutionary,” he said the party cadres would explain to the people its features and the need to implement them.

The TNCC, he said, would also go to the people and make them know about the state unit’s stand on issues such as Mullaperiyar and Koodankulam. Mr Gnanadesikan claimed that some forces had created an unnecessary controversy on the Mullaiperiyar dam. However, he refused to name the forces.

“Whoever rules at the Centre or in Kerala, TN Congress will support only Tamil Nadu on the issue,” he said.

Stating that the TNCC could not be held accountable for Kerala Congress’ views and approach to the issue, he said, “The Constitution bench, in its order in 2009, has said status quo be maintained with regard to the level of the dam. Kerala has found fault with the expert committee whose findings favoured Tamil Nadu only due to fear. However, it is the responsibility of the Kerala government to allay the fears of its people about the safety of the dam.”

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