Stalin joins issue with Jaya on New Veeranam scheme

Chennai, Aug 14 (UNI) Tamil Nadu Local Administration Minister M K Stalin today joined issue with AIADMK Supremo J Jayalalithaa on the New Veeranam scheme and said the issue was not raked by the DMK but by the Congress on the basis of CAG report.

Only on the basis of the CAG report indictment that the previous Government had overspent nearly Rs 295 crore on the project. The issue was raised by a Congress member to which Chief Minister M Karunanidhi announced that a proper inquiry would be conducted on the basis of the findings, Mr Stalin said in a statement here.

The DMK did not rake up the issue to level charges against her, he said.

He charged Ms Jayalalithaa with trying to wash her hands off the issue by blaming the authorities concerned. Her remarks that either the Chief Minister or the Minister concerned was not involved in the final decision were not acceptable because it was the Minister, who headed the Chennai Metroplitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board.

Mr Stalin also denied her charges. The DMK was criticising the new Veeranam Scheme with an eye on the ensuing Local Body elections.

Listing out the CAG's findings against the previous AIADMK Government, he said Jayalalithaa's claim that Larsen and Toubro did not participate in the tender was ''false''. The L and T had submitted a bid for the project but it was rejected on the grounds that it was not in stipulated form.

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