Be a mute spectator; That is what autocratic ‘Amma’ and her partymen wants

Tamil Nadu politics is a cocktail of cult, cash and caste.  And the state’s autocracy rests with the party and the Chief Minister of the ruling party. This leads to dramatic situations in that patch of India.

High drama erupted in the Legislative Assembly of Tamil Nadu on Wednesday when leader of the opposition M K Stalin and 88 other DMK MLAs were suspended from the Tamil Nadu assembly.

Finance Minister O Panneerselvam sought the suspension of all the DMK MLAs alleging that they were disrupting the proceedings of the House following which, speaker of the House Dhanapal suspended the 88 MLAs for a week.

The chaos had been triggered when one AIADMK member had allegedly issued a mocking remark about MK Stalin’s Nammaku Naame road show.

“Though we have boycotted the Assembly proceedings following disagreements with the Speaker on a few occasions, we had shortly thereafter returned to the House to participate in the debates. We acted true to our conscience,” said the DMK leader after the suspension.

Stalin also alleged that the suspension of the MLAs was a planned action by Chief Minister Jayalalithaa to quell their voices.

Echoing objections

In a blistering attack on DMK in the Assembly, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa accused the M Karunanidhi-led party of doing “nothing” to prevent the ceding of Katchatheevu to Sri Lanka, as she vowed to make all legal efforts to retrieve the islet.

After DMK member K Ponmudi referred to Ms Jayalalithaa’s 1991

assurance that Katchatheevu would be retrieved and sought to know the “action taken”, a fierce debate ensued involving him, her and Leader of Opposition MK Stalin.

Claiming that DMK does not have any locus standi to speak on the issue, she said Katchatheevu, an islet in the Palk Straits, was ceded to Sri Lanka through agreements, in 1974 and 1976, with the neighbouring nation by the Centre while DMK president M Karunanidhi was the state’s chief minister.

“What was he (Karunanidhi) doing then? Did he take any steps to prevent it or did he hold agitations?” Ms Jayalalithaa asked, as she maintained that there was no change in her stance that Katchatheevu should be retrieved.

“Yes I spoke of it (in 1991), conscious of the powers of a state government. I had said that I will take steps through the central government and had not said anything insane. I had not said that I would lead a battalion to retrieve Katchatheevu,” Ms Jayalalithaa said.

Stating that she had consistently been making all efforts that could be made by a state government, Ms Jayalalithaa asked why DMK had not taken any steps on the issue though it was part of various regimes at the Centre.

Recalling that when DMK was in power both at the Centre as well as the state and when Mr Karunanidhi had even stated that the previous Manmohan Singh government was “steered” by his advice, she wondered why no action was taken to retrieve Katchatheevu, which is at the centre of the dispute over fishing rights of Tamil Nadu fishermen in the Palk Strait.

She recalled how as the leader of opposition she had petitioned Supreme Court against ceding of Katchatheevu in 2008 and wanted to know why the then DMK government did not implead itself in the case, adding “is this the way to retrieve Katchatheevu?”

“For sure, I will succeed in the petition, someday I will succeed in that petition (Katchatheevu), till then you all should do well and see it, it is my prayer to the Almighty,” she said.

The debate on Katchatheevu stretched for about an hour and witnessed noisy scenes involving DMK and AIADMK members over the issue.

“You cannot drown the truth by shouting, it is the DMK, and its chief Karunanidhi, who were responsible for ceding Katchatheevu. It is the DMK which is responsible for the travails of the fishermen,” she said emphatically amidst noisy scenes and sought to know again why Mr Karunanidhi was silent when the islet was given away.

When Mr Ponmudi said the opposition and the government should work together on Katchatheevu, she asked, “In what respect should we work together? We have already taken action. You witness it without posing obstacles.”

Defending DMK, Mr Stalin said Mr Karunanidhi had written to the then prime minister Indira Gandhi against ceding Katchatheevu.

He referred to an all-party meeting and agitations over the issue in 1974. He said the Assembly, too, had then expressed its “deep regret” over the issue and urged the Centre to reconsider its decision.

Ms Jayalalihtaa said ‘agitations, letters to PM and all-party meetings’ could go (work) only to some extent and she too did that and when there was no result, she moved the Supreme Court.

She said Mr Karunanidhi had claimed in a meeting of Tamil Eelam Supporters Organisation (TESO) in 2013 that before a pact was inked with Sri Lanka to cede Katchatheevu, it was due to his efforts that clauses related to rights for fishermen to fish and dry nets in Katchatheevu were incorporated.

Swearing-in ceremony controversy

DMK president M Karunanidhi alleged that his party was ‘insulted’ at the swearing-in ceremony of J Jayalalithaa as Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, complaining about the seating arrangement made for his son M K Stalin.

He said Stalin was made to sit ‘among the crowd’ even as a losing candidate and AIADMK ally, R Sarath Kumar, was allotted seat in the front row.

“Stalin, who has the qualification to sit in the Main Opposition after (DMK) won 89 seats, was given seat among the crowd whereas Sarath Kumar was seated in the front row,” Karunanidhi said in a statement.

DMK was “insulted” in a planned manner, Karunanidhi said and criticised Jayalalithaa over the incident.