Talks on with Tasmac staff, strike issue will be resolved soon, says Minister Muthusamy

Minister for Housing, Prohibition and Excise S. Muthusamy on Monday said talks were under way with employees of the Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation (Tasmac), who have planned an indefinite strike, and expressed confidence that the issue would be resolved soon.

The Minister told reporters that senior officials, including directors and the general manager of Tasmac, were holding discussions with employee representatives who have announced a strike from February 17. “Clarifications have been provided regarding some of their demands. If those are implemented, a major portion of the problem will be resolved,” he said.

The Minister denied the allegations made by AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami that ₹24,000 crore corruption had taken place in Tasmac over the past four years. He said similar allegations had been made earlier but had not been substantiated. “If a minor lapse occurs somewhere, it is wrong to portray it as if all employees are involved. When 24,000 people are working, the mistakes of two or three individuals cannot be attributed to everyone, nor can the government be termed complicit,” he said. The government was ready to provide evidence transparently if required and invited Mr. Palaniswami to conduct an inquiry.

Reacting to Congress functionary Praveen Chakravarthy’s comments that elections cannot be won solely on the basis of the women’s entitlement scheme, the Minister said the initiative was introduced for the welfare of women and their families, not for electoral gains. He said through the “Vidiyal Payanam” initiative, women were able to save ₹1,000 per month to meet daily expenses. “Providing ₹5,000 is not for elections. If every welfare scheme is termed election-oriented, should the ruling party refrain from governing?” he asked.

Referring to the breakfast scheme for schoolchildren, he said it was illogical to suggest such measures were aimed at securing votes, as children are not voters.