Centre's decision on NLC issue blow to vested interests: MK

Chennai, Jul 7 (UNI) Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK President M Karunanidhi today said that the Centre's decision to put on hold disinvestment in Neyveli Lignite Corporation (NLC) was a blow to those who tried to politicise the issue.

Reacting to reports, ridiculing the victory he had achieved on the issue, Mr Karunanidhi, in a statement here, said he was satisfied that the issue was resolved and the workers of the Public Sector Undertaking(PSU) were happy.

''Those who tried to blow the issue out of proportion and achieve political mileage were disappointed,'' he said in an obvious reference to AIADMK General Secretary J Jayalalithaa, who had pledged her support and asked the workers to fight till the end.

To criticisms that he was enacting a drama on the NLC issue, Mr Karunanidhi said it was not fair to hit back those, who had already suffering. ''They (Ms Jayalalithaa) were very upset that the employees, in the thanks giving meeting, did not even mention their name,'' he said.

Mr Karunandihi described the Centre's decision on disinvestment as a victory to the workforce and Leftist movement. Citing the lines of Poet Bharathidasan, Mr Karunanidhi said he himself was a Leftist.

On Tamil Nadu Government coming out with an Ordinance to arrest under Goondas act, those who were involved in illicit sand quarrying and rice smuggling, he said if the previous AIADMK govenment had introduced laws like ESMA and TESMA to take revenge against the Government employees, his Government has brought legislations to crush anti-social elements.

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