The AIADMK Government would never allow genetically modified seeds to be tested in Tamil Nadu as the field trials would affect the people and the agricultural fields, the Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa has said.

She also accused the Central Government headed by the Congress of piling misery upon misery on the people with its wrong economic policies.

Speaking at a pre-election meeting at Tirupur on Thursday, in support of party candidate V. Sathyabama standing from the Tirupur Lok Sabha constituency, she said the Government would not allow any action that would endanger the livelihood of the agricultural community.

She said the Environment Ministry at the Centre had approved field trials of genetically modified crops of more than 200 varieties including rice, wheat, maize and cotton, among others, by private companies. This would affect human beings and farm lands. It would only benefit MNC seed companies, and bring misery to the farming community.

She said farmers could not get seeds from genetically modified crops and they would have to approach the private companies for seeds for replanting, making food grain production the preserve of a handful of private companies. She assured the gathering that her Government would never allow testing of genetically modified seeds in the State. She went on to say that when the new Central Government, of which AIADMK would be a part, takes office, permission granted at the national level for testing of genetically modified crops would be scrapped.

Referring to GAIL’s controversial plan to lay the Kochi-Bangalore gas pipeline through agricultural lands in seven districts of western Tamil Nadu, Jayalalithaa said when it was brought to her notice that the move would endanger the livelihood of the farmers, the views of the farmers were sought, based on which the Government decided that GAIL should lay the pipeline along the highways without affecting farmers. It was also decided that GAIL should remove the pipeline already laid on farmlands and pay compensation to the affected farmers.

Since the case was not decided in favour of the State in the Madras High Court, the State Government has filed an appeal in the Supreme Court, that had ordered a status quo and GAIL has temporarily suspended the work.

She asked when GAIL could lay pipelines along the national highways in other States, why was it not possible in Tamil Nadu? Should there be one rule for other States, and a different one for Tamil Nadu, she wondered, and urged the voters to deal a body blow to the Congress Government that worked against the interests of the farmers.

Painting the Congress and DMK with the same brush, the AIADMK supremo said the coming Lok Sabha election was not only an election “to end anti-people rule”, but it was an election to establish the people's rule and one that would “change the fate of the country”. She went on to say that if the people's rule blossomed, it would pave the way for a Government of which the AIADMK would be a part so that the rights of the people of Tamil Nadu were established and their demands fulfilled.

Dwelling on some burning issues such as Cauvery river water sharing, she said though the Centre has notified the final award of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal (CWDT) on sharing of the Cauvery waters, the setting up of a Cauvery Management Board/Authority and a Cauvery Water Regulation Committee were yet to be done to ensure that Karnataka implemented the award. She accused the UPA Government led by the Congress at the Centre of “deliberately delaying” forming them and the State Government has filed a case in the Supreme Court in this regard. She assured that when the new Government at the Centre with AIADMK participation assumed office, this would be done.

Turning her attention to the textile industry that is the mainstay of Tirupur, Jayalalithaa said after she came to power in 2011, she sanctioned ₹200 crore as interest-free loan to install modern machines in the Common Effluent Treatment Plants and farmers were paid compensation amounting to ₹75 crore. Government intervention had helped the 508 bleaching and dyeing units to resume work since zero discharge has been achieved.

Jayalalithaa said a project report on the Avinashi-Athikadavu Ground Water Recharge Scheme at an estimated cost of ₹1,862 crore was sent to the Central Water Commission in April last year. But as the Centre Government has returned the proposal after raising some queries, a revised project report was under preparation. Detailing steps taken to secure power from outside, she promised that the State would emerge power-cut free shortly.

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