AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

NT Bureau
Chennai, July 5:

        In a significant political development, PMK founder leader Dr S Ramadoss today said that the nature of their relationship with the ruling DMK was only based on electoral understanding which ended with the polls.

        Addressing mediapersons at his Thailapuram garden residence near Tindivanam today, in the backdrop of an intense verbal war between the PMK and the DMK over the issue of exorbitant fee collection by self-financing colleges, Ramadoss gave a blow-by-blow account of the evolution of ties with the DMK.

        Explaining that the tie-up with DMK was not based on ideology, common minimum programme or a share in power, the PMK strongman said that the friendly tie-up with the Karunanidhi-led party was founded on the basis of seat-sharing for elections. 'It is over with elections,' Ramadoss said and added that after polls the DMK was a ruling party and the PMK an opposition party. He however hastened to say that they were committed to provide unconditional support to the government. 'We are even ready to give a written undertaking,' he said and clarified that it does not mean that they cannot take up issues which affected the people as an opposition party. Stressing that all political parties including the DMK had functioned in the same manner as that of his party, he recalled that the DMK had resorted to agitations on several occasions even while being a part of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance government at the Centre.

        On the issue of self financing colleges which collected exorbitant fee he dared the government to give an undertaking that students and parents who give complaint against the colleges will not be victimised. Ramadoss wanted to know whether the government can give such an undertaking. 'If the government can give an commitment that it would accommodate students it its colleges if they were victimised for preferring complaint, then, we are ready to line up thousands of parents and students to submit complaints,' he said.

        Stressing that the Tamilnadu Educational Institutions (Prohibition of Collection of Capitation Fee) Act 1992 had given the government sky high powers to act against erring professional educational institutions, Ramadoss wondered whether the governemnt did not had any 'responsibility' in the matter. Quoting extensively from the 1992 act he said had action been taken on the basis of the statute, compulsory donations and capitation fee collection could have been curbed to a considerable extent.

        The PMK chief hoped that Chief Minister M Karunanidhi would take action on the basis of the 1992 legislation.