Chennai: The opposition DMK in Tamilnadu Monday accused arch rival AIADMK of staging protests in Parliament in “support” of the ruling BJP at the Centre and alleged that it was not effectively addressing the situation in cyclone Gaja-affected areas in the state.
The DMK’s accusation was made in a resolution adopted at a meeting of the party’s district secretaries, MPs and MLAs, held under its chief M K Stalin here. In the resolution, the party sought waiver of farm and education loans in the Cauvery delta districts that were ravaged by the 16 November cyclone.
Scores of people in the delta districts, including those engaged in coconut-farming, had suffered severe losses but the Centre was yet to release any ‘Gaja cyclone fund’ towards relief and rehabilitation, it alleged.
“The AIADMK, which is unable to insist and get the funds from the Centre, is only engaged in holding protest in Parliament in support of the BJP,” it said. Parliament has been facing disruptions and adjournments since 12 December on various issues, including the Rafale deal and Cauvery dispute.
Though the Winter session had started a day earlier, both Houses were adjourned that day after paying obituary references to former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and union minister Ananth Kumar.
While the DMK has four members in the Rajya Sabha, it has no representation in the Lower House. AIADMK has 37 MPs in Lok Sabha and 13 in Rajya Sabha. In the Rajya Sabha, both parties have raised the issue of Karnataka’s proposal to construct a dam on the Cauvery at Mekedatu, to which Tamilnadu is strongly opposed to. The resolution said the AIADMK government was not effectively carrying forward relief activities.
Cyclone Gaja had crossed the Tamilnadu coast between Nagapattinam and Vedaranyam on 16 November, leaving a trail of destruction in parts of Cauvery delta districts. It had severely affected the farming and power sectors.
In another resolution, the DMK demanded that the permission given to Karnataka for conducting a detailed project report (DPR) on constructing a balancing reservoir at Mekedatu on Cauvery be cancelled.