The Central government will implement the GAIL gas pipeline project in Tamil Nadu without compromising the interests of farmers, Union Minister of State for Finance and Shipping Pon. Radhakrishnan said here on Sunday.
Addressing mediapersons, he said that the DMK had no moral right to criticise the Centre, as it bore responsibility for the problems associated with the way in which the project had been executed thus far. He noted that the DMK was part of the ruling UPA dispensation when the controversy over the alignment of the gas pipeline broke out. He reiterated that the BJP government at the Centre would definitely keep the farmers’ interests in mind before taking a decision on the project.
He said that although the State government had to be commended for the steps it was taking to control the outbreak of dengue, the measures were still not enough. The State government needed to take steps on a war footing, he said.
Welcoming the recent initiatives on the GST front such as the reduction in the tax rate for several products and the relaxation of norms for filing returns, Mr. Radhakrishnan said that the BJP leaders would convey the concerns of industrialists and traders to the Finance Minister.
Reacting to the Kerala government’s move to appoint people from all communities as priests, the Minister said that all qualified people were eligible to become priests, and that Hinduism did not prevent anybody from becoming priests.