MADURAI: The people-led massive public campaign -‘AIIMS FOR MADURAI’- has begun from Madurai on March 15 with leaders from various political parties, trade bodies, ex-MLAs, voluntary organisations and the common man joining the protest over Tamil Nadu government’s “irrational” decision to shift the much awaited All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) from Madurai to Thanjavur.
Cutting across political parties and organisations, the AIIMS movement gained momentum from the temple city of Madurai as there was overall condemnation to the Tamil Nadu’s Chief Minister Edappadi Planisami’s all of a sudden choice of Thanjavur.
Leaders and public representatives have criticised the Chief Minister for by-passing central government expert committee’s inspection report which had recommended only Thoppur near Madurai as the ideal choice for setting up the AIIMS.
There was a chorus demand from Madurai from this demonstration: ‘AIIMS for Madurai is our aim and don’t shift it to Thanjavur to please somebody.’
(There are doubts among the general public when they questioned whether AIIMS shifting proposal by Chief Minister Edappadi Palaniswami was because Sasikala family is from Thanjavur-Mannargudi area.)
The participation was huge in this protest meet which was supported by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Communists, South India Forward Bloc while the influential trade body of southern districts MADITSSIA took the lead to take the issue to ground level in all the nine districts of south Tamil Nadu.
While BJP Tamil Nadu State Secretary Prof.Dr.R.Srinivasan has assured the people that the ‘AIIMS for Madurai only’ will be taken up with the central government and party leadership, the Communist party leaders including R.Annadurai and N.Nanmaran have announced that the matter will be raised in the Parliament by their MPs.
“The nine districts in south Tamil Nadu are waiting for this national healthcare institution from 2015. The Union government will invest around Rs.1,400 crore for AIIMS hospital in Madurai but it will lead to an economic activity of Rs.5,000 crore totally due to allied revenue-income scope in temples, hotels, tourism, transport and related sectors,” said Dr.Srinivasan.
The BJP leader had stressed that the party is not opposed to Thanjavur region but the support for Madurai AIIMS is only because there is no rationale in Tamil Nadu Chief Minister’s choice for Thanjavur at this stage when over 100 acres of land was already given by the former Chief Minister Ms.Jayalalithaa.
“Our party BJP is for proportionate growth, we want Madurai to grow, our people in south Tamil Nadu needs a top class central government AIIMS and let all of us heed to to people’s demand,” Dr.Srinivasan added.
K.C.Thirumaran, founder, South India Forward Block, has declared that his party had recently decided that AIIMS should come only in Madurai Thoppur and not elsewhere, “We are with this people’s movement and will voice our support at all levels through our party meeting resolution,” he added.
Mr.Saseeraman, Madurai BJP urban district president, V.S.Manimaran, chief coordinator of people’s movement and former president of trade body MADITSSIA, Mr.Murari, president of MADITSSIA, voiced their opposition to the Tamil Nadu government’s decision to shift AIIMS from Madurai.
D.M.Balakrishnan, BJP district general secretary (Madurai urban), Dr.S.Sankara Pandi, senior State leader in Tamil Nadu BJP youth wing and G.P.Solaiappan, BJP Virudhunagar district president, were among those who were present at the hunger strike- cum – protest meeting at Palanganatham junction in Madurai city on 15th March, 2017
