Check Chidambaram: Jaya to PM

Minister trying to make political capital out of tsunami: Jayalalithaa

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa today criticised Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram's "unilateral" announcement that the rehabilitation measures for tsunami-affected fishermen would be undertaken by the public sector banks.

"The announcement setting aside and ignoring the state governments, is a most unfortunate and shocking development," she said in a four-page statement.

"I have today written to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh seeking his immediate intervention to intercede and ensure that the states are empowered to rightfully undertake the rehabilitation works," she said.

She also criticised naming of the package as "Rajiv Gandhi rehabilitation package for tsunami-affected areas", saying "it is jarring and unnecessarily divides people on political lines. It is indeed a deplorable attempt to make capital out of an unprecedented natural disaster."

The relief and rehabilitation measures undertaken by the state government had earned widespread acclaim. All agencies and people had come together in the relief effort, she said.

The "divisive" situation, which had been created by Chidambaram's statement in the middle of a massive rehabilitation programme, was "most unwarranted."

"It has to be rectified at once as otherwise the whole programme will be jeopardised," she said.

Jayalalithaa said Chidam-baram had indicated that both the subsidy amount and loan amount for purchase of fishing crafts would be disbursed by the banks themselves.

"Does this mean that the state governments are not to be trusted with the rehabilitation programme for their fishermen. This statement is thoughtless as it completely seems to ignore that the state governments exist in a federal polity like ours. I am quite bewildered as to how such an insensitive and impractical statement has been issued by the Union finance minister," she said.

Jayalalithaa said permanent rehabilitation programme had to incorporate several dimensions. The state government had made tremendous efforts to counsel and instill self-confidence among the fishermen, who had been badly affected.

"The detailed survey itself was undertaken by the state government following a participatory approach," she said.

"All this make it absolutely essential that the state government is fully involved in the rehabilitation programme," she said.

She also criticised Chidam-baram's directions to the chief secretary, relief commissioner and the district collectors of affected states and Union Territory, "whereas he has completely dismissed the state governments as non-existent. This is truly shocking," she said.

The Constitution visualised specific roles for the states and duly elected state governments to discharge these functions, she said adding that the state governments were much closer to the people.

Fisheries was much in the state list, Jayalalithaa said adding "when this is so, I am dismayed by the facile manner in which the delicate fabric of the Centre-state relations has been torn asunder by the statement of the finance minister."

"It is well known that all calamity relief and rehabilitation works are undertaken by the state governments and the assistance is given only to the states," she said.

"It is most unfortunate that the Union finance minister has sought to eliminate and bypass the states in undertaking rehabilitation works. This cannot be allowed to happen," she said.

"I have requested the Prime Minister for his immediate intervention to reverse the arrangement set out by Chidambaram. I have also requested that following the usual practice and convention, the states may be entrusted with both the responsibility and funds for undertaking the entire rehabilitation programme, including fishermen rehabilitation programme as only the states have the machinery, facilities and capability to put through a large programme," she said.