Sivaganga (Tamil Nadu): Senior Congress leader and former Union Finance Minister P. Chidambaram, elected to the Rajya Sabha from Tamil Nadu, reached Sivaganga on Friday.
Addressing the media in Karaikudi on Friday Chidambaram said, "being elected to the state assembly on behalf of Tamil Nadu is an opportunity to focus more on Tamil Nadu politics. There is no setback for the Congress party in the state elections. I am ready to resign in case a family member wants to be in the party. It is not only in Congress that people from the same family get positions because even BJP has such people. So that level of politics has to change and will change. My preference is that the Congress party should go for a transition from 2024 onwards."
He also gave his take on the controversy in Tamil Nadu due to government interference in the temple. "Atheists should not interfere in temple issues. Similarly, the government should not interfere in spiritual matters. The Treasury has the right to seek accounts as per law. There is a way to check the accounts without interfering with the temple administration. The Treasury Department and the temple management of the Nataraja temple should sit down and talk and settle the matter."
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During the press conference, he praised the Stalin government of Tamil Nadu. "The DMK-led Tamil Nadu government has not taken any wrong decisions in one year so far. The Chief Minister takes every decision rightly. The central government has completely failed in domestic administration. Petrol and diesel prices should have been reduced earlier. The federal government is not reducing taxes on non-disbursed funds to states. The governor must act independently in accordance with the constitution. The bill should not be put on hold. "
