DMK President Kalaignar M Karunanidhi on July 31 said that democracy has been throttled in the Tamil Nadu Assembly with all his party MLAs barred from entering the House for the rest of the session, but also called upon youth to come forward to defend democracy in Tamil Nadu. He recalled a time when he had a cordial relationship with Jayalalitha when they worked together in the film industry.
Addressing a well-attended public meeting in Chennai arranged by South Chennai district DMK, Kalaignar said that it had been acknowledged even by other movements that the DMK was unparalleled in social, literary and Tamil development fields.
Referring to the earlier speeches of Stalin and Duraimurugan on the conduct of the State Assembly by the ADMK regime, Kalaignar said though he was elected with thumping majority from Tiruvarur Constituency in the last Assembly elections, he was unable to attend the session of the Assembly as the present rulers did not provide him enough space to move and occupy the seat allotted on his wheel chair. Still he was attending to the needs and issues of the people of the constituency through letters or representation through comrades to the officials.
He said an elected Assembly was duty bound to safeguard democracy and democratic norms and traditions. But the earlier speakers narrated with agony and concern the difficulties for them to raise the issues of the people in the House.
An emotional DMK chief said he had been a member of the State assembly since 1957 when Kamarajar and M.Bhakthavatchalam were the Chief Ministers. It was the time when the Opposition parties were allowed to raise issues and speak freely in the House.
Kamarajar treated opposition members with respect and once when a textbook was found to have certain derogatory references to certain sections of society, Kalaignar said he raised the matter in the Assembly and immediately Kamarajar and the Minister of the department P.Kakkan attended to the issue and had the textbook revised.
He said that recently when he went to Delhi he visited the Rajya Sabha where he could see a few elderly members like him were seated in exclusive seats. But the rulers in the State had no such inclination to provide him the facility in the House. Referring to his acquaintance with Jayalalitha when they worked in film industry, Kalaignar said, “We worked together in the film industry and shared a good professional relationship but later (as CM) she put me in jail”.
But he was not bothered about his personal difficulties by only concerned with the deterioration and destruction of democracy cherished in the Tamil Nadu Assembly since its inception.
“Since the rest of the opposition members of parties such as DMDK, CPM, CPI, Congress, PMK, Manitha Neya Makkal Katchi and Puthiya Thamizhagam have appealed to the Speaker to revoke suspensions of DMK MLAs, we should not fail to cooperate with them when such situations develop,” he said.
He said the youth should come forward to take steps for protecting democracy.
‘Ready for stir’: DMK floor leader in the Assembly and party Treasurer Thalapathi M K Stalin recalled an incident in the Assembly in 1957 during the Congress rule when the Opposition leader Arignar Anna, while speaking an ordinance, severely attacked the ruling party and said that there was an agitation in Patna in which the portrait of Mahatma Gandhi was burnt, the effigy of Jawaharlal Nehru was set ablaze but you (the rulers) had set on fire this Constitution more than ten times, but there was no shouting and chaos from the Treasury benches as now. Anna could fully register his views which were still available in the Assembly library, Stalin said.
In another incident, speaking on the budget for 1958-59 Anna asked whether the government would come forward to nationalise film industry and offered to give any number of stories and dialogues. The ruling Congress party did not raise any protest but on the contrary Kamarajar rose up and said that the government was ready to accept stories given by Anna but he should also act in the films. Anna said if Kamarajar orders he was prepared to act also.
Wondering whether such heated debates and lively exchanges were possible in the present House, Stalin said that even while the question hour was on when it informed over the mike that the Chief Minister had started from her residence, the Speaker would expedite the qvuestion hour and she entered it would be stopped. The Speaker sitting on the edge of his seat would rise up and then the Chief Minister would read out statements under rule 110 for which there were no debates or question but only singing paeans for her.
He said it was sad that the Tamil Nadu Assembly has become a ‘Puguzh Padum Manram’ (House to sing praises) of Chief Minister Jayalalitha to the extent that real issues affecting the State were not addressed. They could criticise Kalaignar but now vulgarise. If the DMK members sought to refute permission was refused. He said if the State government failed to act on the law and order front, DMK would embark on a campaign and agitation, with the permission of Kalaiganr, demanding removal of the government.
Party’s deputy floor leader Duraimurugan spoke of how the previous DMK governments had upheld democratic traditions in the Assembly.
“Jayalalitha had not signed on the official book for 60 working days of the Assembly once and could have been barred from the Assembly but her party leader O Panneerselvam had submitted a letter to the then Speaker expressing Jayalalitha’s inability to attend the session and Kalaignar had the grace to relax the norms,” he recalled
Addressing a well-attended public meeting in Chennai arranged by South Chennai district DMK, Kalaignar said that it had been acknowledged even by other movements that the DMK was unparalleled in social, literary and Tamil development fields.
Referring to the earlier speeches of Stalin and Duraimurugan on the conduct of the State Assembly by the ADMK regime, Kalaignar said though he was elected with thumping majority from Tiruvarur Constituency in the last Assembly elections, he was unable to attend the session of the Assembly as the present rulers did not provide him enough space to move and occupy the seat allotted on his wheel chair. Still he was attending to the needs and issues of the people of the constituency through letters or representation through comrades to the officials.
He said an elected Assembly was duty bound to safeguard democracy and democratic norms and traditions. But the earlier speakers narrated with agony and concern the difficulties for them to raise the issues of the people in the House.
An emotional DMK chief said he had been a member of the State assembly since 1957 when Kamarajar and M.Bhakthavatchalam were the Chief Ministers. It was the time when the Opposition parties were allowed to raise issues and speak freely in the House.
Kamarajar treated opposition members with respect and once when a textbook was found to have certain derogatory references to certain sections of society, Kalaignar said he raised the matter in the Assembly and immediately Kamarajar and the Minister of the department P.Kakkan attended to the issue and had the textbook revised.
He said that recently when he went to Delhi he visited the Rajya Sabha where he could see a few elderly members like him were seated in exclusive seats. But the rulers in the State had no such inclination to provide him the facility in the House. Referring to his acquaintance with Jayalalitha when they worked in film industry, Kalaignar said, “We worked together in the film industry and shared a good professional relationship but later (as CM) she put me in jail”.
But he was not bothered about his personal difficulties by only concerned with the deterioration and destruction of democracy cherished in the Tamil Nadu Assembly since its inception.
“Since the rest of the opposition members of parties such as DMDK, CPM, CPI, Congress, PMK, Manitha Neya Makkal Katchi and Puthiya Thamizhagam have appealed to the Speaker to revoke suspensions of DMK MLAs, we should not fail to cooperate with them when such situations develop,” he said.
He said the youth should come forward to take steps for protecting democracy.
‘Ready for stir’: DMK floor leader in the Assembly and party Treasurer Thalapathi M K Stalin recalled an incident in the Assembly in 1957 during the Congress rule when the Opposition leader Arignar Anna, while speaking an ordinance, severely attacked the ruling party and said that there was an agitation in Patna in which the portrait of Mahatma Gandhi was burnt, the effigy of Jawaharlal Nehru was set ablaze but you (the rulers) had set on fire this Constitution more than ten times, but there was no shouting and chaos from the Treasury benches as now. Anna could fully register his views which were still available in the Assembly library, Stalin said.
In another incident, speaking on the budget for 1958-59 Anna asked whether the government would come forward to nationalise film industry and offered to give any number of stories and dialogues. The ruling Congress party did not raise any protest but on the contrary Kamarajar rose up and said that the government was ready to accept stories given by Anna but he should also act in the films. Anna said if Kamarajar orders he was prepared to act also.
Wondering whether such heated debates and lively exchanges were possible in the present House, Stalin said that even while the question hour was on when it informed over the mike that the Chief Minister had started from her residence, the Speaker would expedite the qvuestion hour and she entered it would be stopped. The Speaker sitting on the edge of his seat would rise up and then the Chief Minister would read out statements under rule 110 for which there were no debates or question but only singing paeans for her.
He said it was sad that the Tamil Nadu Assembly has become a ‘Puguzh Padum Manram’ (House to sing praises) of Chief Minister Jayalalitha to the extent that real issues affecting the State were not addressed. They could criticise Kalaignar but now vulgarise. If the DMK members sought to refute permission was refused. He said if the State government failed to act on the law and order front, DMK would embark on a campaign and agitation, with the permission of Kalaiganr, demanding removal of the government.
Party’s deputy floor leader Duraimurugan spoke of how the previous DMK governments had upheld democratic traditions in the Assembly.
“Jayalalitha had not signed on the official book for 60 working days of the Assembly once and could have been barred from the Assembly but her party leader O Panneerselvam had submitted a letter to the then Speaker expressing Jayalalitha’s inability to attend the session and Kalaignar had the grace to relax the norms,” he recalled
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