Karunanidhi joins issue with PMK leader

CHENNAI: Joining issue with Pattali Makkal Katchi founder S .Ramadoss, Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi on Tuesday said the PMK leader continuously levelling allegations against the ruling party and its Ministers would not help an alliance that ought to be good and lasting.

Recalling the PMK’s agitation against high fees in private professional colleges, Mr. Karunanidhi said his government did not support the private professional colleges. It had gone to court against them and gained significant victory.

The Government was second to none in protecting the interests of students.

It was not concerned about the welfare of the owners of private professional colleges over that of the students. That is the reason why the Government abolished the Common Entrance Test after it came to power. It had also opened three universities and four arts and science colleges.

Mr. Karunanidhi said Higher Education Minister K. Ponmudy wanted Dr. Ramadoss to provide him with a complaint by a student that the colleges were collecting exorbitant fees.

The Minister did not say that no wrong was happening in private professional colleges; he merely wanted a complaint to act upon.

Mr. Karunanidhi assured Dr. Ramadoss that if there was a complaint, the State government would take action based on its powers.

On the allegation that private medical colleges were looting students, Mr. Karunanidhi said the powers to derecognise medical colleges lay with the Medical Council of India.

The Union Health Ministry headed by Anbumani Ramadoss should be approached with any complaint in this regard.

“Dr. Ramadoss asks if allies should indulge in agitations. I am also asking the same question,” Mr. Karunanidhi said. When an allegation was levelled that the DMK’s Higher Education Ministry was worse than that of the previous regime, should the DMK not respond to these charges, he asked and said there was no Higher Education Ministry in the previous regime.
Mr. Karunanidhi advised Dr. Ramadoss to speak to him if he was aware of acts of the omission and commission by the Government. It was not desirable to speak about this to the Press and it was also not desirable that he [Mr. Karunanidhi] replied through a press statement.