‘Amma’ in Tamil refers to a mother or a god and not Jayalalithaa,says petitions.
Chennai: Refuting claims that public funds are being used to promote the image of Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa through schemes like Amma Mineral Water, a petition in the Madras high court has argued that ‘Amma’ in Tamil refers to a mother or a god and is a reverential form of address for women in general.
“It should not be construed that state government schemes are being named after chief minister J. Jayalalithaa,” argued the petition filed by Varaaki, a journalist, who has sought to implead himself in the PIL filed by ‘Traffic’ Ramasamy, a social activist, asking for removal of the kiosks selling Amma Mineral Water.
Pointing out that the chief minister had taken oath as Jayalalithaa and not as ‘Amma’, Varaaki said the Amma Mineral Water and Amma Canteen were state government schemes and were not named after her. It was false and mischievous to say that public funds were being used to promote her personal image, he maintained, also arguing that the use of the chief minister’s photograph for any official scheme was to be expected as it was her government that was implementing it.
Pointing out that there were 450 government projects named after late Prime Ministers, Nehru, Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi, he said the Amma Mineral Water scheme was introduced on the lines of the Centre’s Rail Neer scheme.
( Source : dc )
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