DMK chief MK Stalin, in a statement, has asked the AIADMK to "not do politics" with Amma canteens and instead wanted the government to fund free food in the eateries.
Days after AIADMK party functionaries in districts, including Coimbatore and Salem, said they would bear the cost of free food in Amma Canteens in their regions, the state’s main opposition party leader MK Stalin, flayed the government for “handing over” state-run Amma Canteens “on a platter” to ruling party functionaries. He alleged that it was "very bad politics.”
The low-cost state-run canteen chain, run by local bodies in Tamil Nadu, caters largely to the working classes and the indigent. The price of food, including idli and 'variety rice' like lemon rice, range between a rupee and Rs five.
The Dravidian party chief said people confined to their homes in view of the lockdown and deprived of even minimum income would not be able to pay their electricity bills. The DMK leader on Tuesday demanded the Tamil Nadu government to waive electricity bill for 'rice' category ration card holders in view of loss of income during the lockdown and asserted that such a move alone would lend a helping hand to them.
He said, "Waiving electricity bill for those with rice ration cards alone will be tantamount to lending a hand of friendship for them by the government.” Rice ration cardholders receive rice for free and other essential commodities like cooking oil and dhal at a highly subsidised rate.
The DMK leader also demanded that the Central government put on hold the collection of fee at toll plazas since taking charges from vehicles transporting essential commodities may lead to rise in prices.
Toll plazas reportedly started collecting fee from April 20 after it was stopped during the first phase of lockdown.
Stalin also alleged that sanitary workers in Karur Government Hospital were pushed into staging a protest since they had not received one month’s salary and added that only timely remittance of salaries could be a mark of gratitude to them who put their lives at risk in the fight against coronavirus.
With PTI inputs