Karunanidhi takes umbrage at Congress leader’s comments

CHENNAI - A day after Congress leader E.V.K.S. Elangovan hit out at the Tamil Nadu government over the naming of a housing society, Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi Thursday termed his comments as painful and going against strengthening of the DMK-Congress alliance.

On Wednesday, Elangovan, a known DMK baiter, questioned the proprietary of naming a housing scheme as Kalaignar Housing Scheme when the central government is providing Rs.45,000 while the state’s share is just Rs.15,000 per house.

In a statement here Thursday, Karunanidhi said: “Elangovan has mixed up with two housing schemes — one funded by the central government while the other is Kalaignar Housing Scheme - announced by the Tamil Nadu government.”

Karunanidhi said the former Tamil Nadu Congress chief Elangovan has confused both the schemes.

Karunanidhi said the central scheme called Indira Housing Scheme is in vogue since 1997-98. Under this scheme rural families living below the poverty line (BPL) will be given free concrete houses. The cost will be shared between the central and state governments in 75:25 ratio.

As it would take more than 30 years to convert all the huts into concrete houses under the central government scheme, the Tamil Nadu government announced a different housing scheme to convert 21 lakh thatched huts into concrete huts over the next six years, Karunanidhi said.

The state has allocated Rs.1,800 crore in the current year’s budget to convert 300,000 huts into cement houses, he said.