State govt neglecting its duty to people, charges AICC leader

Addressing reporters after taking part in celebrations organised to mark Congress president Rahul Gandhi’s birthday in Thoothukudi, Dutt said, “All democratic andsecular forces would unite to continue the battle to protect our nation.”

Thanking the people of Tamil Nadu for having given such an overwhelming mandate for the Congress-DMK alliance, he said, “Our alliance will continue to work for a better and progressive Tamil Nadu.”

Further, he blamed the State government for failing to address the water crisis, adding that the ruling AIADMK has neglected the basic needs of people.

“The AIADMK government took no steps to resolve the issue in the past and today, this problem has become a major crisis. People living in cities, including Chennai, are experiencing difficulties owing to the acute scarcity of water,” he said.

Stating that the situation in Thoothukudi was even worse, Dutt said, “The Congress party along with its alliance partners would stand with the people and oppose the State government, which is only interested in collection, commission and corruption. It is neglecting its responsibilities towards the people.”

“If the situation arises, the Congress would join hands with people and take to streets to agitate against the government and force it to resolve the water crisis at the earliest,” the Congress leader said.

According to him, public welfare programmes were organised at several places to mark Rahul’s birthday. A series of programmes such as blood donation camps, medical camps, plantation of saplings, distribution of note books and food packets to students hailing from a poor financial background were organised across the State to reach out to the common man and downtrodden sections, Dutt added.