Two conflicting statements on Chief
Minister Kalaignar M.Karunanidhi and his government emanated on the same day on
November 6, from two persons – first, a seasoned, experienced and responsible
Union Minister of Agriculture, Consumer Affaris, Food and Public Distribution
Thiru Shard Pawar and second, an immature (despite ageing), puerile, foolhardy
and reckless Jayalalitha, who, of late, seemed to be envious of Kalaignar’s
ever-growing influence and popularity at the national and global levels.
In his inaugural address at the Fourth
National Conference of Krishi Vigyan Kendras held on November 6 at the Tamil
Nadu Agricultural University in Coimbatore, Thiru Pawar remarked, “I feel much
obliged to share the dais with one of the senior most public personalities of
the country Dr. M.Karunanidhiji, Honourable Chief Minister, Government of Tamil
Nadu, who took consistent and strenuous efforts to make Tamil Nadu as one of
the most prosperous agricultural state in the country. I am happy to state on
this occasion, under his governance, Tamil Nadu realized the highest
productivity in crops such as sugarcane and coconut in the country and the
productivity levels of other crops such as paddy, maize, groundnut, sesame,
black gram and green gram is well above the average of national productivity, I
congratulate the Chief Minister, the Agriculture Minister and the efforts of
Tamil Nadu Agricultural University and above all, the sincere and hard working
farming community of Tamil Nadu.”
This appreciation of Kalaignar’s efforts
to boost the agricultural economy of the State has come from the horse’s mouth
– the Union Agricultural Minister who had in the past led the government in Maharashtra, a leading state in cotton and sugarcane
production, as Chief Minister. Tamil Nadu could realize highest productivity in
sugarcane crop in the country because of the policy and development initiatives
launched by Kalaignar government to enthuse farming community to work hard and
sincerely. Moreover, for a cash crop like sugarcane remunerative price for the
produce holds the key for farmers’ enthusiasm. The very fact that the State has
realized highest productivity in sugarcane cultivation, objectivity, underlines
the truth that the cultivation of the crop is more than remunerative and that
the sugarcane growers are happy and content with the State Advisory Price
announced by the DMK government now and then over and about the Statutory
Minimum Price decided by the Central government although some vested interests
always make a hue and cry with political motive.
On the very same day November 6,
Jayalalitha had issued a statement urging the State government to pay higher
support price for sugarcane growers over and above the recently introduced Fair
and Remunerative Price by the Centre, of Rs.1,298.40. Kalaignar, in his press
meet at Coimbatore,
had explained that the Centre had already fixed a minimum price of Rs.1,077.60
per tonne and now increased it under the revised FRP by Rs.220.80 to total
Rs.1,298.40. The Tamil Nadu government had already been paying more than this
amount. The State government had already fixed State Advisory Price at Rs.
1,432.40, besides which towards transport charges and recovery rate an
additional amount of Rs.112.60 was also given totaling Rs.1,550, which is far
above the Centre’s price.
In this regard, what is the record of the
regime of Jayalalitha, who is now shedding crocodile tears for the interests of
sugarcane growers and employees of TASMAC retail outlets? In the year 2001-02
the Centre fixed Statutory Minimum Price
(SMP) for sugarcane of Rs.620.50 from Rs.595/- fixed for the previous
year of 2000-01, when the earlier DMK government fixed the SAP at Rs.775 and
Rs.1,000 for recovery rates of 8.5 and 10 per cents respectively. (For the
previous year of 1999-2000 the DMK government fixed SAP at Rs.740 as against
SMP of the Centre at Rs.561). But the ADMK regime did not increase the SAP for
2001-2002 even by one rupee. Similarly Jayalalitha did not increase the SAP
even by one paisa when the Centre increased SMP to Rs.695 and Rs.730 for the
yars 2002-03 and 2003-04. Only after the drubbing her party received in the Lok
Sabha elections in 2004 and Assembly elections were announced, Jayalalitha, in
view of the impending polls fixed the SAP at Rs.1,014 when the Centre fixed the
SMP at Rs.795/-.Only the sugarcane growers should judge whether Jayalalitha has
any moral right to ask the DMK government to hike the SAP. State Agriculture
Minister Thiru Veerapandi S.Arumugam has rightly said that she is trying to
hoodwink the farmers.
On her criticism of Kalaignar keeping
quite on the Centre’s move replacing SMP by F&RP, the Minister has said
that the DMK government did not accept Centre’s F&RP and the position of
the State government would be communicated to the Centre.
Jayalalitha also seems to be jealous of
Kalaignar’s growing popularity and influence among the government employees,
teachers and police personnel, besides workers, farmers and all other sections
of the society who were at the receiving end of the onslaughts of the
Jayalalitha regime. Suddenly she has turned hyper-sensitive to judicial
pronouncements and has found fault with the Chief Minister for not initiating
action against four police officers indicted by the Madras High Court in the
police-lawyers clashes in the High Court complex. Kalaignar has replied to her
charge at the Press Meet in Coimbatore.
As pointed out by him, the court had not made any charges against the DMK
government or any Ministers and in fact, had appreciated the gesture of the
Chief Minister in sending a letter to the acting Chief Justice from the
hospital offering to go by an ambulance to meet him (the CJ). The judges had
also recorded appreciation for the Chief Justice and other higher officials for
their prompt actions. But did Jayalalitha take any action when the Supreme
Court indicted officials for negligence causing death of 42 persons in a
stampede at MGR Nagar in Chennai in December 2005.
If Jayalalitha has any respect for
judiciary and considers court verdicts and observations sacrosanct, she must
have quit public life and take to ‘political sanyas’ many a times in the past.
For instance the Supreme Court on 27.1.2006 pulled up Jayalalitha for adopting
delaying tactics by not appearing for questioning in the three income tax cases
pending before the Additional Chief Metropolitan Court, Economic Offences-I,
Egmore, Chennai since 1996. 42 adjournments were sought between 2001 and 2003.
A Bench comprising Justice B.N.Agarwal and Justice A.K.Matur, told her counsel
“You (Jayalalitha) are making a mockery of the judicial process. How long can
you drag the proceedings? You must set an example to others by presenting
yourself in the court (trial court) for questioning”. Referring to a letter
circulated by her counsel seeking six weeks adjournment for filing a counter,
the Bench said: “What counter affidavit you can file in this matter. We want to
pass an order today itself directing your client to be present in the court
(trial court) for questioning.”
There was still more sternly critical
remark on her persona in the TANSI cases by the Supreme Court in November 2003
when she was the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu. Acquitting her on technical
grounds, a Bench comprising Justice S.Venkatrama Reddy and Justice S.Rajendra
Babu, however passed scathing remarks on her acts saying: “With reference to
the purchase of a TANSI property, Jayalalitha had breached the Code of Conduct,
prohibiting Ministers from buying government properties since there was a
“conflict of interest” between the office she held and the acts she committed….
Irrespective of the fact whether we reach the conclusion that Jayalalitha is
guilty of the offences with which she is charged, or not, she must atone for
the same by answering her conscience in light of what we have stated not only
by returning the property to TANSI unconditionally, but also ponder over
whether she had done the right thing in breaching the spirit of the Code of
Conduct and giving rise to suspicion that rules and procedures were bent to
acquire the property for personal benefit …. and take steps to expiate
herself.” Poor judges possibly did not know that Jayalalitha has no such
‘commodity’ called conscience! If only
she had had an iota of it she would have quit politics and public life then
itself. Strangely none of the media in Tamil Nadu – the so-called ‘witch dogs’
of democracy, public opinion makers, conscience-keepers and what not – demanded
Jayalalitha to call it quits.
Of late Jayalalitha, in her impetuous
impulse to find fault with Kalaignar and his government to feed for her daily
statements, got herself unwittingly caught in her own web to the embarrassment
of her party cadre and functionaries. Or else, will she call for a
demonstration by her party cadre demanding employees of TASMAC liquor retail
outlets to be made permanent and shedding tears for them for ‘working for the
past six years without any job protection conveniently forgetting that it was
she who recruited these young persons in November 2003 on paltry consolidated
pays (Rs.3000/- for supervisors, Rs.2000 for salesmen and Rs.1500 for bar
assistants) imposing so many conditions like ‘that it was purely temporary
job’, ‘they have no right to form unions’ etc., Moreover their working hours
lasted for 16 hours a day from 8 AM to 12 mid night. They were not paid any
interest on the security deposits paid by them and were paid only 8.33 percent
bonus for the year 2004 and 2005. (In fact, it was widely reported in 2003 that
the State-owned TASMAC took over retail outlets from private owners as the
bargain of the duo – Jaya and Sasi – for a “cutting” of Rs.400 crore from wine
shop owners failed to clinch). It was only after the DMK assumed power that
they were paid 15 percent bonus in 2006 and 20 percent in 2007 and 2008.
Kalaignar also increased their pay to Rs.4000, Rs.2,800 and Rs.2,100 for
supervisors, salesmen and bar assistants respectively. Their working hours were
also reduced by 4 hours from 10 AM to 10 PM. Interest on their deposits @ 3.5%
is being paid. Their demands for job permanency, promotions and service rules
are under the consideration of the government. So these employees cannot be
hoodwinked by Jayalalitha the perpetrator of anti-working class onslaughts. She
also appointed on paltry consolidated pays of Rs.3,000 and 4,000, nearly one
lakh teachers in schools, who were made permanent and paid time scales of pay
after the DMK came to power in 2006. They will never forget the gross injustice
inflicted by the Jayalalitha regime and will always be grateful to Kalaignar.
In yet another instance of her amnesia or
cover-up, Jayalalitha called for a demonstration by her party in Nilgiris
district on November 9 ‘protesting’ against ‘restrictions imposed on sale of
own lands in the district and eviction of people’ in those areas. But the fact is that the DMK government did
not issue any such order or resorted to any eviction. Nobody can be evicted
against their willingness and there is also no provision in law. No amendments
were made by the DMK rule in the law regarding sale of private lands in the
district which is in vogue since 1949. It was only Jayalalitha who issued a
notification under the law on 15.11.1991 which imposed such restriction. There
cannot be any other crazy clown than Jayalalitha, who issued notification
during her rule and now announce a demonstration stating that it was issued by
the DMK government.
Jayalalitha would do well if she avoids vain
attempts at decrying and discrediting Kalaignar and the DMK rule and in the
process, making herself a laughing stock in the eyes of the people, in order,
at least, to conserve whatever remnants of her ever-shrinking party
organization and halt exodus of her party cadre and functionaries.
(15-11-09)
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