Chennai: Hailing Mother Teresa for `having
dedicated her life to the service of the poor and ailing,`
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi on Saturday said the Centre
should have celebrated the missionary`s birth centenary all
over the country rather than just releasing a commemorative
coin on her.
In his address at the birth centenary celebrations of
Mother Teresa organised by the state government, Karunanidhi
also chided other states including West Bengal, where she
lived, for allegedly not celebrating the occasion.
Responding to Congress MLA S Peter Alphonse, who said
that his party-led UPA had released a coin in her honour,
Karunanidhi said the Centre could have done more.
"Alphonse did not let (Congress-led) government down and
pointed out that it had released a coin. But that would not
have been all and her birth centenary should have been
celebrated all over the country," he said.
The Centre had in August released the commemorative coin
to mark the birth centenary celebrations of the Mother.
Claiming that his party was following the ideals preached
by Mother Teresa, the DMK president said the replacement of
hand-pulled rickshaws with cycle rickshaws by his government
was a sign of the party`s respect for the path shown by her.
He said the hand-pulled rickshaw was still in vogue in
the Left-ruled West Bengal.
Senior Congress leader and MP Oscar Fernandes lauded the
state government for its various welfare measures including
the Kalaignar Housing Scheme and the rice scheme.
PTI
