‘TVK govt will maintain cordial ties with Centre for funds, says minister Dr K G Arunraj

Namakkal: Minister Dr K G Arunraj on Friday said the state govt, led by chief minister C Joseph Vijay, would maintain a cordial relationship with the Union govt to secure necessary funds for welfare schemes, while firmly upholding its ideological commitment to state rights.The minister inspected water bodies at Kootappalli, Srinivasa Palayam, Kudiraipallam and Emappalli in Tiruchengode constituency on the day and directed municipal commissioners and engineers to begin biomining operations to remove the silt accumulated in Kootappalli lake and undertake water purification measures. He assured that road infrastructure would be improved in the constituency to prevent damage during monsoon. Speaking to reporters, Arunraj rejected allegations of "horse-trading" and said the Left, IUML and VCK supported TVK because of shared secular and social justice principles. He said the people had chosen Vijay as the chief minister because they wanted a corruption-free govt and a break from earlier administrations. He slammed the c National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET), saying it was vulnerable to irregularities. While the govt is pursuing legal efforts to abolish NEET, he said they were also demanding that the authority to conduct medical entrance examinations and admissions be returned to the state govt through the concurrent list. Arunraj thanked the voters of Tiruchengode and promised complete transparency in his work. He said the chief minister was planning to meet several political leaders, including AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami, to receive their greetings as part of democratic tradition.