Taking exception to Congress leader and former Union Minister E.V.K.S. Elangovan’s observations against the DMK government, Chief Minister and Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam president M. Karunanidhi on August 5 said the Congress leader’s statements would not strengthen the DMK-Congress alliance but would strain it. Reacting to Elangovan’s speech in Erode in which he accused the DMK government of claiming credit for the Union government-funded programmes, the Chief Minister, in a statement, explained that the Congress leader had confused the Kalaignar Housing Scheme, a State scheme, with the Indira Awaas Yojana (IAY), a Central scheme.

The IAY, once a component of the Jawahar Rozgar Yojana, became an independent scheme in 1997-1998. Under this scheme, free houses would be built for the houseless Scheduled Castes/ Scheduled Tribes, freed bonded labourers in rural areas and other segments of the rural people living below poverty line. The IAY was being funded by the Centre and the State in the ratio of 75:25. Kalaignar recalled that when the Kalaignar Housing Scheme was announced early this year during the Governor’s address to the Assembly, it was stated that if all the huts in the State were to be converted into permanent houses only under the IAY, it would take another 30 years.

The Kalaignar Housing Scheme would be launched during 2010-2011, covering the conversion of 21 lakh huts into concrete-roofed permanent houses. In the first year, three lakh huts would be built at a cost of Rs. 1,800 crore. The State budget had also talked of the scheme, which was now under implementation. Without understanding the difference between the Central and State schemes, Elangovan wondered whether it was fair to name the rural housing scheme after Kalaignar, the Chief Minister added.

Jaya’s political jealosy: There is no irregularity in the appointment of teachers through the Teachers Recruitment Board, averred Chief Minister Kalaignar M. Karunanidhi on August 7. Reacting to criticism in the matter of appointment of teachers, he said in a statement that the board was adhering to G.Os and procedural rules. The list of selected candidates was being uploaded on the board’s website. As far as the School Education Department was concerned, in the last five years, general transfers of teachers was being done in a fair and transparent manner benefitting all teachers. He gave statistics of beneficiaries and said teachers associations had complimented the government in the matter.

Strongly denying the charge by Jayalalitha of rampant corruption in the recruitment and transfers of teachers in the State, he said “The charges levelled by her only show her intense hatred towards my family and political jealousy.’’ Kalaignar said the counselling for the transfer of teachers had been held in a transparent manner over the last five years, benefiting 77,013 teachers from the School Education Department. He added that no one had met those who had been arrested for the fake certificate scam at prison as alleged by Jayalalitha.