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Chief Minister and All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam general secretary Jayalalithaa on Tuesday promised to ensure that the Legislative Council is not revived in the State.
Recalling that it was AIADMK founder and former Chief Minister M.G. Ramachandran who had abolished the Council in 1986, Ms. Jayalalithaa told a press conference at Fort St. George that there was no change in her party's position.
“We will do all what we can to ensure that it [the Council] does not get revived. Hereafter, there will not be a chance for the DMK to revive the Council and we will not be put to the trouble of having to abolish it again.”
To a question on administrative reforms, she replied, “We feel it is sufficient if we give an efficient, clean and transparent government to people.”
On reports of an invitation from Congress president Sonia Gandhi to her for a tea party, the AIADMK leader responded: “This invitation is something that I keep reading about and hearing about in the media.”
When a reporter persisted on the tea party issue, Ms. Jayalalithaa said: “My answer is this. After my victory in the elections, Mrs. Sonia Gandhi called me over the telephone, spoke to me and congratulated me on our victory.”
She declined to comment on the status of DMK-Congress ties.
When another reporter asked whether her offer of support to the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government at the Centre was still on, Ms. Jayalalithaa recalled that it was made in November last. “Why are you asking about it? It is up to those concerned to ask about it.” On the issue of fee structure for schools, the Chief Minister said now the matter was between the fee fixation committee and schools. The government was not directly concerned in this regard. “If the schools express their willingness for our intervention, we will do so.”
To a question whether the Kalaignar Insurance Scheme, Kalaignar Housing Scheme and Metro Rail project would be continued, she replied that it was for the Cabinet to decide.
Keywords: Jayalalithaa, Legislative Council, DMK-Congress ties
People of Tamil Nadu cannot afford the luxury of a Legislative Council in as much as it is
a drain on the resources.Treasury is empty,thanks to the previous regime
Jayalalithaa’s insistence on the abolition of Tamilnadu State Legislative Council might have been prompted by her Party’s decision which was implemented in 1986 under her leader, the late M.G.R. Her decision might also have intended a dig at her arch rival Karunanidhi who re-created the Council. In fact, there are other genuine reasons which justify the abolition of State Legislative Councils. The State Councils compare very well with the Rajya Sabha. The Constitution does not offer anything special to these Houses. Though the Members of these Houses are often respectfully addressed as 'elders', they are only as elders as those in the Lower Houses in respect of age. The fictitious higher status of the members of the Upper Houses on other qualities like wisdom or any other count is limited. The de facto higher status of the Lower Houses is visible in many provisions of the Constitution and other Laws. The rules of business and procedures and discussions and decisions of the two categories of Houses are more or less identical. There is also provision for common secretarial staff for both the Houses together. These arguments make the Councils and the Rajya Sabha truly redundant.
Coming to the ground realities, to most people, the Rajya Sabha and the State Councils are the cause of avoidable expenditure on the State exchequer. These are no Houses “of the people for the people by the people". They only help to absorb some people into the 'profession' of politics and to provide them with attractive employment in the area! These Houses have often been reduced to a shelter to accommodate leaders who fail to win the general elections. Examples are plenty. Membership in the Houses is often conferred to avoid group rivalries and split in political parties. It is also reported that the importance of the Upper Houses in most countries has been declining. Thus, in addition to serving the vested interests of political parties, the Upper House functions only to increase the number of MPs/MLAs by some huge numbers. In fact, we have sufficiently strong Lok Sabha and State Assemblies. Even the present strength of the Lower Houses looks a bit on the higher side. The cost on the infrastructure and maintenance of the Houses exerts undue pressure on the exchequer. In the prevailing circumstances of global recession, unemployment among youth and increase in population below poverty line, it shall be our endeavour to reduce the Government expenditure to the minimum and to avoid misuse of public money. It is time to have a re-think on the continuance or otherwise of even the Rajya Sabha. Maintaining white elephants is no wisdom. The original concept of the Upper Houses as one to "give an opportunity, perhaps, to seasoned people, who may not be in the thickest of political fray, but who might be willing to participate in the debate with an amount of learning and importance which we do not ordinarily associate with the House of the People" do not stand valid now. Today however, both the Houses are functioning more or less as similar political entities.
What do the keywords have to do anything with the article?
India's founding father's created a bi-cameral leglislative system so that the Government of the day does not ride rough shod, but we all know Jayalalitha does not appreciate democracy too much and so she has a lot of excuses to abolish the upper house,a PIL has to be filed and answer's sought as to why some states have upper houses and other's do not and whether abolishing them is as per Constitution and if yes then we have to do away with Rajya Sabha also.
The comment on the non revival of the legislative council,we would be happy that it would save a lot of money.There would not be any saucer(ref MK's analogy of cup and saucer).Actually with the huge majority of AIADMK alliance in the legislative assembly, we would not be seeing any heated discussions and so there would not be any need for the use of saucer to cool of hot tea.
Very clear-headed approach by JJ on abolition of Legislative Council which is of no use. On the possibility of AIADMK aligning with the Congress, I believe that it is not a wise move, as the people of TN are very angry with the Congress for having let down the Sri Lankan Tamils. Again, some people are of the opinion that the Congress is also involved in the mega-scandal of 2G, and that is why they were dodging action against Raja.
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