There have been constant reports of COVID19 patients dying due to lack of oxygen. The newly-elected DMK chief MK Stalin wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi requesting the central government to provide additional oxygen to Tamil Nadu. Following this, the Central Government on May 8 reallocated the oxygen supply for states and ordered that of the 170 MT oxygen produced at the Inox Kanjikode plant in Kerala, 40 MT of oxygen per day be supplied to Tamil Nadu by diverting the 20 MT oxygen to be given for Karnataka.
However, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan invoked the Kerala State Disaster Management Act and issued a new order refusing to supply 160 MT of oxygen to be sent for 4 days (May 9-12) stating that the state will not be able to send oxygen to Tamil Nadu as the demand in their state was increasing and that the rising number of patients needed oxygen. Pinarayi Vijayan also wrote in his letter to the Prime Minister that his government would not be able to send the ‘buffer’ oxygen.
Because of this, Tamil Nadu had lost 160 MT of oxygen that it should have received from Kerala in the last three days.
In light of this, Madurai Parliamentary Constituency MP Su. Venkatesan wrote a letter to Communist Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan to send the excess oxygen in Kerala to Tamil Nadu.
While the Kerala government sent 31 metric tonnes of oxygen to Tamil Nadu following the central government’s order, Communist MP from Tamil Nadu Su. Venkatesan has been bragging that Tamil Nadu got oxygen because of the letter he wrote.
It is noteworthy that the Kerala government has stopped sending oxygen to Tamil Nadu from yesterday (May 13). The DMK, which won the election in alliance with the Communists in Tamil Nadu, is keeping quiet on the issue. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin has not even utter a word about the Kerala government’s refusal to provide oxygen despite the Tamil Nadu government extending help whenever a catastrophe struck Kerala.
In light of this BJP Tamil Nadu Spokesperson SG Suryah has question MK Stalin’s silence over the issue. In a live television debate, Suryah said that Pinarayi Vijayan had refused the ‘buffer’ stock meant for Tamil Nadu but there has been no request from Stalin’s side to get the oxygen needed for the state. “When we (Tamil Nadu) had excess, we sent oxygen to Telangana which was facing deficit. But nobody the DMK which is in alliance with the Congress has remained silent over this matter”, said Suryah.
தமிழகத்துக்கு தர வேண்டிய ஆக்சிஜனை தர மறுக்கும் கேரளாவை கேள்வி கேட்க தமிழக முதல்வர் உட்பட யாருக்கும் நேரம் இல்லை? தமிழகத்திற்கு குறைவான தடுப்பூசி கொடுத்துள்ளனர் என குஜராத்தை காட்டுபவர்கள் நம்மில் பாதிக்கும் கீழ் மக்கள் தொகை கொண்ட கேரளாவை சுட்டிக்காட்டாதது ஏன்? #தந்திடிவி விவாதம். pic.twitter.com/RuUjvW2vA3
— SG Suryah (@SuryahSG) May 12, 2021
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