Chennai: Terming the Raj Bhavan's imprisonment warning as 'intimidating', DMK working president M.K.Stalin on Monday swore he would continue to lead his party in waving black flags at Governor Banwarilal Purohit should he continue with his visits to the districts for review meetings with officials.
"Not just seven years, even if we must remain in jail for the rest of our lives, we in the DMK will continue with our black flag protests if the Governor carries on with his review meetings violating the principle of state autonomy. The DMK is prepared to make any sacrifice in the fight for state autonomy propounded by Anna and Kalaignar (Karunanidhi)", Stalin told reporters outside the State Assembly after leading his party MLAs in walkout as Speaker P.Dhanapal would not allow him to raise the issue of the Governor's district trips.
Piqued by Stalin's attempt on Saturday to 'lay siege' to the Raj Bhavan with party followers waving black flags, the Governor's secretariat on Sunday issued a stiff warning that the Governor enjoys "unhindered freedom" to interact with officials and cited legal provisions that said whoever tried to obstruct the Governor's work could be jailed for up to seven years. The Raj Bhavan statement also pointed out that Governor Purohit had painstakingly explained to Stalin and others that he had done nothing in violation of the Constitution and his meetings with the district officials were only aimed at familiarising himself with the ground situation and not to review their work.
When Stalin sought to raise in the Assembly the issue of the Governor's meetings with officials, Speaker Dhanapal said a firm 'no' on the ground that the legislature rules forbade discussion on the conduct of the President of India and the Governor of a state; but the DMK leader stood his ground and recalled that "this very House" had passed a resolution in 1995 demanding that the Centre recall the (then) Governor (M. Chenna Reddy).
The Speaker then explained that the House rules were subsequently amended in 1999 to prohibit discussion on President/ Governor. He declined to entertain Stalin's plea that an exemption could be made now to take up Governor Purohit's conduct. "I do not wish to do it, I am not for it", the Speaker said firmly, pointing out that the practice of relaxing a particular rule was no more in vogue. Stalin's plea that he was keen on taking up the issue in the interest of state's autonomy and he was speaking for the ruling AIADMK too, did not impress the Chair. Upon this, he led his party MLAs in walkout. He was joined by the Congress MLAs and the lone IUML member.
Slamming the Raj Bhavan's 'jail threat', Stalin had in a statement late Sunday night accused the Governor of indulging in "direct politics" and declared that the DMK "will not run away from the responsibility and will not be cowed down by such empty threats".
