CHENNAI: Amid the chorus that AIADMK MPs should vote against the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre on the proposed no-confidence motion, senior AIADMK leader and Minister for Fisheries D Jayakumar on Sunday said his party would take a call when the motion came up for voting.
“The party (leadership) will hold a full meeting and take a decision when the (no-trust) motion comes up for voting,” he told reporters here, while replying to a question on the demand for the AIADMK to vote against the BJP.
Principal opposition party DMK began the chorus for voting against the NDA government when its working president M K Stalin suggested it in order to exert more pressure on the Centre to implement the Supreme Court judgment on the Cauvery river water-sharing dispute.
The Tamil Nadu Congress joined its senior partner in making the same demand as the AIADMK is the third largest bloc in Lok Sabha with 37 members. TNCC president S Thirunavukkarasar has said the TDP and YSR Congress have buried their difference and joined hands together to fight for the rights of their State Andhra Pradesh and asked why parties in Tamil Nadu could not emulate them.
Meanwhile, the CPM made a similar plea to the ruling AIADMK to vote against the NDA government.
Accusing the Centre of enacting a drama even after the Supreme Court ordered formation of the Cauvery Management Board and Cauvery Water Regulation Committee within six weeks from the day of delivering the judgment, CPM State secretary K Balakrishnan urged all MPs from the State, particularly the AIADMK, to vote against the government.
‘Govt will not give up on rights of TN on CMB’
Revenue Minister RB Udayakumar said in Madurai that the State government would continue to press the Centre for the setting up of Cauvery Management Board (CMB) and that it would not give up on the rights of Tamil Nadu.
Addressing media persons after a meeting, Udayakumar said that Cauvery issue was prevalent since the British period. “The government which was formed by late Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa would not give up on the rights of the State in CMB issue.”
He further said that Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami would be part of the event to be held on March 30 in which as many as 100 couples will tie the knot.
“Though initially we planned to organise the marriage for 70 couples, it was increased to 100. Arrangements for the function are in full swing and as many as 1,000 folklore artistes would be participating in the function,” he added.
Centre will form CMB before March 30: BJP
Coimbatore: The Central government will form the Cauvery Management Board (CMB) before March 30, said BJP State President Tamilisai Soundarrajan on Sunday. Addressing the media at Coimbatore Airport, she said the Centre was carrying out the preparation works based on the Supreme Court direction on the Cauvery river water sharing dispute. However, political parties in the State were diverting the issue with the claim that the Centre would not form the CMB for their gain, she added.
Reacting to the Congress party’s demand that Election Commission should bring back ballot papers in the place of Electronic Voting Machines (EVM), Tamilisai said that their opinion was a disgrace to the people, who had voted democratically. “Congress party has now started discussing about EVMs as the party was defeated and lost deposit amount in several constituencies in the recently held elections. Congress will not get the deposit amount even if the election commission changes this practice,” she said.