CHENNAI: Fisheries minister D. Jayakumar on Friday asserted that the AIADMK would have “no truck” with the V.K. Sasikala family and that the decision to keep them out remains “unchanged”.
He was responding to questions on speculation that the AIADMK was ready for rapprochement with the Sasikala family sans rebel leader TTV Dhinakaran.
“It is completely wrong. I am sure we will never have any truck with the Sasikala family. We have taken a decision to keep the family away from the party and we have no reason to go back on that decision”, Jayakumar said.
The reports suggesting that Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami has decided to build bridges with the Sasikala family, with a rider that Dhinakaran be kept out of politics, have been denied.
Speaking about the Union Budget, the Minister said it would have been good if the finance minister had increased the income tax exemption threshold from ' 2.5 lakh to '5 lakh. He also said the standard deduction of '40,000 for salaried employees under conveyance and medical expenses was not enough and expressed the hope that the amount will be increased.
The fisheries minister also exuded confidence that the Union government will sanction the proposal to widen the East Coast Road connecting Chennai with Puducherry and make it a four-lane highway, and the National Highway connecting Chennai with Bengaluru.
“These two projects are very crucial for the state of Tamil Nadu. Though these projects and their funding have not been announced in the Union Budget, we expect the Union Government to sanction them in due course. I am hoping that the Centre will ensure such projects will help development of the state,” Jayakumar said.
