COIMBATORE: Assembly SpeakerM Appavu on Wednesday said the people and the Centre-appointed team have appreciated the flood relief works undertaken by the state government.

Addressing reporters in Coimbatore, Appavu said some of them blaming the relief measures is akin to belittling the genuine work of thousands of workers. “Those affected were extended maximum help. As Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman was from Tamil Nadu, she should try to get relief funds for the state,” he said.

Claiming that democracy has become weak in Parliament in the 10 years of BJP rule, Appavu, while condemning the intrusion in Parliament, said the security breach shows the weakness of BJP.

Earlier, while addressing a conference at a private college in Coimbatore, Appavu said the central government has brought the New Education Policy (NEP) to derail possibility of everyone from pursuing higher studies.

“Everyone in Tamil Nadu now gets equal opportunity to pursue education, unlike before. If 72 per cent of women are pursuing studies, then it’s because of various schemes introduced by the DMK government. The central government through its NEP is trying to bring back ‘kula kalvi thittam’ brought by chief minister of erstwhile Madras PresidencyC Rajaji,” he said.

Further, Appavu said there are 74 medical colleges, where 11,000 students are studying in the state. “If NEP is implemented, the number of seats will be reduced to 7,200 as students from other states will come over. The state government will never allow bringing NEP through back doors as education for all is the policy of Dravidian model government,” he said.