Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa on Monday introduced a resolution in the Sate Assembly urging the Centre to name the new domestic terminal at the Chennai Airport after former Chief Minister and AIADMK founder MG Ramachandran. The Assembly unanimously adopted the resolution, which will now become part of a proposal by the State government.
Explaining the need for the resolution, Jayalalithaa said Union Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh had asked her to forward a proposal to the Union government with the approval of the Assembly. “The Civil Aviation Minister had invited me to take part in the function where the honourable Vice President inaugurated the new domestic terminal at the Chennai airport. I had agreed and written back to him urging him to name the new terminal after MGR, who was Chief Minister thrice, died as Chief Minister and was the torch bearer of Anna’s (CN Annadurai) ideas. But there was no announcement to this effect from the Centre, which was disappointing to me and the people,” Jayalalithaa said.
“So, I received the Vice President in line with protocol and released a statement outlining my reasons for not taking part in the inaugural function. After this, the Civil Aviation Minister asked me to forward a proposal with the approval of the Assembly, which could then be taken up for discussion by the Union Cabinet,” Jayalalithaa told the Assembly.
The resolution itself heaped praise on MGR. “Just as the international terminal is named after Peraringnar Anna, and the domestic terminal is named after Perunthalaivar Kamaraj, the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly urges the Union government to name the new domestic terminal after Bharat Ratna MGR, who despite his death continues to live in the minds and homes of people, who received power from the people, who lived not for himself but for the people of Tamil Nadu and was a slave of affection,” read the resolution.
Members of almost all the parties in the Assembly praised the resolution and expressed support for it. Even AIADMK archrival DMK’s MK Stalin expressed full support for the resolution. The only party that did not speak on the resolution, but supported it anyway, was the DMDK, as none of its frontline leaders were available. The DMDK members who were present in the House were left asking each other to stand up and make a speech, getting left out in the process.