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Journalism of Courage
Palaniammal had named her daughter, Sonia, out of love for the Nehru-Gandhi family. Today, Congress president Sonia Gandhi came calling on Palaniammal at her small house on College Road at Kumbakonam.
But the little Sonia was not there, she had been buried along with her elder sister, Priyanka, who died in the fire that ravaged their school on Friday. Sonia was in Class III and Priyanka was in Class IV. The two died together.
Holding Palaniammal’s hands, the Congress chief consoled the mourning family. Coming from a family of Congress workers, Palaniammal has named her eight-month-old baby Indira. And her three-year-old boy is Rahul. ‘‘My grandchildren have died to bring Sonia Gandhi to our house?’’ the grandmother of the children wailed as the Congress president left the house.
Sonia Gandhi also went to the burial ground where the two children were laid to rest yesterday and paid floral tribute.
While Rahul Gandhi was in Kumbakonam yesterday to offer ‘‘emotional support’’ to its mourning people, today, the Congress president flew down with the UPA government’s package of financial support for this grief-struck temple town.
After meeting the children injured in the school fire at the Kumbakonam Government hospital, she announced an ex-gratia of Rs 50,000 each for the parents of the 90 children who died. A total for Rs 1 crore had been sanctioned from the Prime Minister’s Relief Fund. ‘‘The Prime Minister has requested me to announce it,’’ she said.
Besides, the Centre would provide Rs 50 lakh for providing fire-proof roofing for the schools and noon meal centres in Kumbakonam which function in thatched sheds. Another Rs 25 lakh would be earmarked by the Union Human Resources Development Ministry for rehabilitating the surviving injured children. ‘‘It is a tragedy which shocked and stunned the whole country. It is even more tragic when we come to realise that precious lives of children have been lost… We have to learn lessons from the tragedy,’’ she told the media at the hospital.
She also visited the Sri Krishna School, the accident site. She was accompanied by the Union Petroleum Minister Mani Shankar Aiyar and Communications Minister Dayanidhi Maran.
