Jaya does a volte face, restores concessions

MANDATE 2004

After facing a rout in the Lok Sabha elections, a shell-shocked Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa yesterday reversed most of the cost-cutting measures she had implemented in the first three years of her tenure.

The measures, announced keeping in mind the 2006 Assembly elections in the state, are bound to hurt the state exchequer. For instance, free power to farmers and hut dwellers has been restored.

Apart from this, the decision to install electric reading meters for the two sections of the population has been withdrawn.

The Tamil Nadu Chief Minister also removed the 'H' endorsement on ration cards with immediate effect. This would mean the restoration of the supply of essential commodities under the public distribution system (PDS) to all ration card holders, which had been restricted to families with a monthly income of less than Rs 5,000.

Jayalalithaa said in a media release, "My government has and will always be a people's government, responding to their every need."

The midday-meal scheme has been beefed up with an order to add potatoes and pulses. "To further enrich the diet, an egg be given to every child once a week," she said. The noon meal scheme covers all children between the age of 2 and 15.

Besides the concessional measures, the chief minister also took a few decisions aimed at endearing herself to the populace. First, in what she called a magnanimous gesture, the chief minister withdrew disciplinary proceedings against government employees and teachers who went on strike in July 2003.

"I have ordered that the cases filed by the government against leaders of various political parties under the provisions of the Tamil Nadu Essential Services Maintenance Act in connection with the strike be withdrawn," she said.

Second, cases against The Hindu and other newspapers in connection with the Privilege Issues which figured in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly in November 2003, have also been withdrawn.

Finally, in a move to assuage the minorities, the chief minister has ordered the immediate repeal of the Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Forcible Conversion of Religion Act 2002, popularly known as the Anti-Conversion Law.

An ordinance for this purpose will be brought in immediately. "This government will always be the true friend and champion of the minorities," she said.

However, the DMK termed Jayalalithaa's announcement of concessions "nothing new", and said it was like "worshipping the sun after going blind".

"There is nothing new in it. These are the concessions, rights and programmes bestowed during the DMK rule. In the last three years, Jayalalithaa scrapped all of them," DMK President M Karunanidhi said in New Delhi.

Keeping the Assembly polls ahead in mind, Jayalalithaa wanted to fool the people, he said. Referring to the victory of the DMK-led combine in all the 40 Lok Sabha seats in Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry, Karunanidhi said the restoration of concessions would be its "41st seat".

MDMK chief Vaiko in a statement said the announcement would hardly compensate the "atrocities committed by the government".

Poll wary
Tamil Nadu CM J Jayalalithaa rolls back stern measures

• Free power to farmers, no electric meters for them
• All ration card holders to get commodities under the public distribution system
• Midday-meal for children beefed up
• Disciplinary proceedings against government employees and teachers who went on strike in July 2003 dropped. Cases against political leaders, including DMK President M Karunanidhi, revoked
• Withdrawal of about 40 defamation cases against the media
• Repeal of the Anti-Conversion Bill