Stop free CTV distribution, take up relief works: Jaya

Chennai, Dec 29 (UNI) AIADMK General Secretary J Jayalalithaa today said the Tamil Nadu government should stop the distribution of free Colour TV sets forthwith and utilise the funds to take up flood relief works in the state.

Launching a blistering attack on the DMK government for its 'populist' schemes, Ms Jayalalithaa, in a statement, here said if Chief Minister M Karunanidhi really wanted to help those affected in the recent rains, he would have stopped the free Colour TV scheme and used the funds for flood relief.

The state government, if it is really responsible, should have immediately taken up the relief works, especially when the affected people were struggling for their livelihood after losing their houses, she said.

The DMK government, instead of taking up immediate relief works, was saying that it would write to the Centre, seeking an assistance of Rs 1500 crore, after allocating Rs 200 crore.

''The immediate task before the government is to undertake flood relief works and I condemn the DMK government for its failure in this regard,'' she said.

When several basic needs of the people remained to be addressed, the DMK government was boasting about its hollow achievement of distributing free Colour TV sets, she said, adding the Chief Minsiter could no longer cheat the people with the freebies.

Quoting Poet Thiruvalluvar's couplet, she said a good government should provide employment to the unemployed and ensure that the people had the purchasing power.

However, the DMK government, instead of enabling the people to buy television sets on their own, was distributing free TV sets, she charged.

UNI