CHENNAI: Days after the CPM cadre were subjected to torture by the police and Madras University administration for screening the BBC documentary on Gujarat riots, DMK has decided to raise the issue in the parliament. The decision was taken during a consultative meeting for the party MPs at Anna Arivalayam to discuss the upcoming parliament budget session for 2023-2024.
Members of the Students Federation of India (SFI) were allegedly tortured by the police and administration of Central University, Thiruvarur, on Wednesday night when they tried to screen the BBC documentary on Gujarat riots, and a section of members of SFI was denied permission to watch the documentary on Madras University campus on Friday.
A press release said Chief Minister MK Stalin, after holding discussions with MPs, has advised them to raise issues relating to the state and, in particular, amounts and schemes that are due with the Union government.
Some of the important suggestions for the MPs include raising the controversy over banning the 2002 Gujarat violence documentary released by BBC, and the losses in the stock market following the report submitted by Hindenburg Research on the irregularities of the Adani Group of Companies.
Stalin also told DMK parliamentarians to voice the party’s views on efforts aimed at ‘altering’ the basic features of the Constitution that result in ‘unnecessary opinions’ of some including Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, who questioned the Constitution’s basic structure doctrine.
Union Law Minister, Kiren Rijiju, had described the collegium system as being something ‘alien’ to the Indian Constitution. He had said it was a ‘matter of grave concern’ that certain portions of sensitive reports of the intelligence bureau and the research and analysis wing were put in the public domain by the Supreme Court collegium. Days ago, he had said intelligence officials work secretly and they would ‘think twice’ in future if their reports are made public.
In addition to that, the MPs were asked to raise issues such as getting the president’s assent to the bill to exempt Tamil Nadu from NEET, the Sri Lankan government’s attacks and arrests of Tamil fishermen, and the illegal acts of the Sri Lankan army seizing and confiscating Indian fishermen’s boats, the stoppage of matriculation scholarships for minority students from classes 1 to 8, declaration of Madurai airport as an international airport, the establishment of AIIMS in Madurai, execution of Sethusamudram project, getting enough vaccines for food and mouth disease in livestock, providing employment opportunities to the youth of Tamil Nadu in union government offices and PSUs in Tamil Nadu, the issue of NLC’s reluctance to provide jobs to the youth of Tamil Nadu, and others.
The Union Budget, the last full-fledged budget of the Modi government before the 2024 general elections, will be presented in the Parliament on February 1.
Citing BJP meet, cops deny nod to screen documentary
Madurai: Members of the Democratic Youth Federation of India accused Madurai city police of acting against the freedom of expression after they were not allowed to screen the BBC documentary near Jaihindpuram. Madurai district Secretary of DYFI, T Selva Raj, said that they waited till 5 pm for permission from the police.
“In the last minute, they asked us to postpone the screening to Monday, citing law and order issues as BJP’s executive meeting was being held at nearby Anna Nagar,” he said. Police sources said DYFI will be given permission to screen the documentary on Monday with police protection.