RailEnquiry

TRICHY: The 47-km Thanjavur-Pattukottai railway line (via Orathanadu) and the 42-km Mannargudi-Pattukottai rail project, for which a survey is being conducted, appear to have become the matter of a tussle between two DMK leaders.While T R Baalu, MP and railway standing committee chairman, is said to have been instrumental in getting the projects cleared, Union minister of state for finance S S Palanimanickam told a hurriedly held media conference on Saturday that Baalu was unnecessarily interfering in his constituency. This is the first time Palanimanickam, who represents the Thanjavur parliamentary constituency, has openly come out against Baalu for going against the party tradition of sticking to one's 'turf'."There are lots of problems in his Sriperumbudur constituency. Let him resolve them first before coming here," Palani Manickam said. He also said the Sriperumbudur MP was trying to taking credit for small projects instead of concentrating on the Ram Sethu, the pet project of party chief M Karunanidhi.Palanimanickam said he was forced to make this statement as he could no longer tolerate the 'interference.' It is widely perceived that Baalu is pitching for the Thanjavur parliament seat in the 2014 election as he has newly-developed business interests there and his son T R B Rajaa is the MLA of Mannargudi, which comes within the Thanjavur parliamentary constituency.

Palanimanickam said Baalu's family-owned distillery project at Vadaseri in Thanjavur district was opposed by locals who feared it would create environmental problems. "I do not know what goes on in his (Baalu's) mind, but if need be I will jump on to the protesters' bandwagon if he does not mend his ways," Manickam said. Manickam alleged that Baalu was eyeing every rail project with the single-minded aim of enriching his business interests.

Palanimanickam's charges made at the sudden media conference have already stirred a hornet's nest within the party.