Power holiday: PMK to take agitation path

Cuddalore (Tamil Nadu), Jul 24: The Pattali Makkal Katchi, the estranged ally of the ruling DMK in Tamil Nadu, today announced a statewide agitation from July 28 to 30 to condemn the declared and undeclared power cuts across the State.

Informing this to newspersons at his Thailapuram farmhouse, near here, today, PMK founder-leader S Ramadoss claimed that the entire state had plunged into darkness, with the Government resorting to almost five hours of power cut after announcing load shedding for two hours. The move had affected all sections of society, especially farmers, students, weavers, tiny and small scale industries.

Refusing to buy Chief Minister M Karunanidhi's explanation that the power crisis was a fallout of the lack of initiatives by the previous AIADMK Government to step up power generation, he said, quoting media reports, that while power production had remained stagnant at 8,690 MW since 2004, the demand had risen from 5,909 MW in 2004 to 9,124 MW in 2008.

''In fact, the DMK Government has not taken any steps to increase power production. It has failed in this front. When sales targets can be set for selling liquor through TASMAC shops, why can't the Government set a target and increase power production,'' he asked.

Dr Ramadoss condemned the allotment of acres of land at Taramani in Chennai to the Tata group and DLF real estate company in the name of promoting Special Economic Zones (SEZ), when people were finding it difficult to get land for residential purpose.

The PMK leader claimed that the State Government had booked party functionary 'Kaduvetti' J Guru under the National Security Act (NSA) for raising people's issues like sand theft, prohibition, commercialisation of education and acquiring fertile lands for SEZ.

Similarly, party functionaries Rajendran and Das were arrested under NSA for taking up cudgels for a public cause in Tiruppur. ''This is nothing, but a dictatorial act borne out of political vendetta,'' he said.

Taking exception to the pandemonium in the Lok Sabha during the debate on the confidence motion, Dr Ramadoss said ''there was no debate at all. The proceedings were not according to democratic principles. The younger generation will shun politics, had they watched the proceedings.'' Regarding cross-voting in the crucial trust vote, he opined that a law should be brought in to expel such elected representatives from the party, if two thirds of the Legislators or Parliamentarians of the party evolved a consensus in this regard.

UNI