In what appears to be a bid to shift the political onus on the DMK on the Cauvery issue, senior AIADMK leader M. Thambidurai on April 1 said his party would consider moving a no-trust motion in the Lok Sabha against the NDA government if the Congress supported it.
“(DMK working president) Stalin says AIADMK should bring a no-trust motion (on Cauvery issue). We are ready to bring it,” he told reporters at the Chennai airport.
In the same breath, the Lok Sabha Deputy Speaker said Congress support was needed to facilitate such an initiative. “Let Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi issue a statement (indicating support)... they (the DMK) are in alliance with them (the Congress)... only if they (the Congress) support, we will get the (requisite) numbers,” he said.
Seeking to make his party’s position clear, Mr. Thambidruai, a senior AIADMK leader from western Tamil Nadu, said such a no-trust move would however be only for the Cauvery issue. “Only on the Cauvery issue... not for any other general issue. To urge constitution of the Cauvery Management Board (CMB), and since the Centre has failed to do that, we will consider that if other parties like Congress support it.”
Mr. Thambidurai’s assertion comes against the backdrop of the Congress-ruled Karnataka going to the polls next month, where Cauvery is an emotive issue like in Tamil Nadu.
Days ago, Mr. Stalin had demanded that the ruling AIADMK support the no-trust move of the Telugu Desam Party to mount pressure on the Centre to set up the CMB.
The DMK said it would hold continuous protests like the one on April 1 at Valluvar Kottam in Chennai , till the CMB was constituted.
With the support of its ally, the Congress, and friendly parties, including the CPI, the CPI(M), the DMK has also announced a State-wide shut down on April 5 . Farmer organisations and a traders body have given a bandh call on April 3 over the Cauvery issue and on the same day the ruling AIADMK will hold hunger strike across Tamil Nadu.
Barring Chief Minister K. Palaniswami and Deputy Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam, all other party leaders would participate, the AIADMK had said.
