Chennai: Even as Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam and AIADMK general secretary Sasikala Natarajan thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for helping out Tamil Nadu in promulgating ordinance to facilitate jallikattu, Lok Sabha deputy speaker M. Thambidurai on Saturday sounded a discordant note slamming the PM for not giving time to the TN MPs delegation he had let to Delhi on the same issue.
Mr Thambidurai also faulted the Centre for not promulgating the ordinance itself "keeping in mind the sentiments of the Tamil Nadu people". The senior MP chose to ignore well-known and widely articulated expert view that the Centre would not be able to promulgate ordinance when the issue is before the Supreme Court whereas the State could do that.
"The Centre has supported Tamil Nadu on the jallikattu issue, we do not deny. But it didn't come forward to promulgate the ordinance itself," Thambidurai told reporters in Delhi. He said he was disappointed that the PM did not meet his delegation. "We waited three days but we could not get the appointment."
He said MPs from Tamil Nadu tried to meet the PM several times over the last one year but could not get appointment. "The MPs, LS deputy speaker and the Prime Minister all are equal. It's the duty of the Prime Minister to meet the elected representatives," he said, adding, "We tried to meet the PM over Cauvery issue, fishermen issue and Katchatheevu issue. But we could not meet him".
Mr Thambidurai said the Centre had not implemented the Supreme Court verdict on the Cauvery issue while letting down TN on many other issues such as Mullaiperiyar, Katchatheevu and the SL Tamils problem. "Where is cooperative federalism? In a federal system the rights of all states should be protected", he said, adding that the Centre should not set aside aspirations of regional people.
"One Tax, One Nation, might be right for GST. But the Centre should not try to impose One Language, One Culture. This is a federal system. All languages and cultures should be respected….The Tamils are united throughout the world to protect Tamil culture. Tamil culture also means culture of India," Thambidurai thundered. His delegation met President Pranab Mukherjee on Saturday and pressed for his assent for the TN jallikattu ordinance.
