Stalin tells party MLAs to avoid confrontation with Oppn parties

CHENNAI: Chief Minister and DMK president M K Stalin on Tuesday instructed his party MLAs to refrain from crossing the sword with the MLAs of the prime opposition AIADMK and asked them to use every opportunity during the Assembly session to highlight the government's welfare and development projects. He also issued a diktat that the MLAs should avoid praising him and waste their allotted time during the demand for grant sessions of the session that ends on April 21.

Chairing the meeting at the party's headquarters, the DMK leader told the party legislatures not to be provoked at the instigating and cheap comments passed by the Opposition parties during the demand for debate. He also instructed the party MLAs and senior leaders to avoid extolling him and use the time to speak about the welfare scheme and its positive outcomes in detail on the floor of the Assembly.

Pointing out reports in some of the regional language newspapers over the budget presentation, the DMK leader said that he was amused by the way certain newspapers carried the Assembly and Budget session news.

He, however, told the MLAs not to be bothered about such "ill-conceived" news items that carried with an ulterior motive, said one of the MLAs. He continued that the leader asked them to stick to the party founder and Dravidian icon CN Annadurai's core principle - Kadamai, Kanniyam, Kattupaadu (Duty, Dignity and Discipline) - to accomplish their task.