Minister of Prison Reforms, Rehabilitation, Resettlement and Hindu Religious Affairs D. M. Swaminathan hit out at Northern Province Chief Minister C. V. Wigneswaran for "no action talk only" stance with regards to the welfare of the people in the north.

Swaminathan was responding to a letter sent by Wigneswaran, informing him of the decision by the Northern Provincial Council to reject the 65,000 housing scheme in the north. Wigneswaran has said in the letter that the government is carrying out this project to show it to Geneva and not with the betterment of the Tamil people in mind.

The NPC has done nothing substantially to the people after the war and keep on criticising what the government is doing, Swaminathan said in a statement today.

"Every development brought by successive Governments to uplift the economic and social conditions of the Tamil community have been opposed, causing serious damage to the community" the Minister elaborated.

"It has become a “no action - talk only” scenario depriving the legitimate basic needs of the Tamil Community which elected the provincial political authoritiesto address the pressing requirement. Further, whatever Government does, the Northern Provincial Council opposing and bringing an end for all resettlement and development activities", Swaminathan added further.

It is time for the people to recognize the political ends and personal interest of these politicians, the Minister said and added that if people fail to express their strong views on this type of personalized agenda, in the long term it can have disastrous consequences.

Commenting on the housing project, Swaminathan said that Wigneswaran opposed this project earlier on apparent technical grounds. The government was able to answer these questions raised by the Chief Minister and therefore he has picked up a new argument bringing a Geneva agenda into it, the Minister added.