Speaking in the Assembly on Tuesday after the Supreme Court's historic verdict, Stalin thanked leaders and members of all parties except the AIADMK and BJP for welcoming the judgment that upheld states' constitutional rights
Chennai: Terming the Supreme Court verdict that the Governor holding back Bills passed by the Assembly was against the law as a victory to all state governments and not just Tamil Nadu, Chief Minister M.K. Stalin said that the challenging of the decision by Governor R.N. Ravi was based on the cardinal principle of the DMK to uphold state autonomy and federal policies.
Making a statement in the floor of the Assembly on Tuesday soon after the Supreme Court delivered the historic verdict, Stalin thanked the leaders and members of all political parties, other than the AIADMK and the BJP, for their speeches welcoming and expressing happiness over the judgment that had upheld the rights for the states enshrined in the Constitution.
Conveying his gratitude to the Supreme Court on behalf of the members of the Assembly and the people of Tamil Nadu who had elected them, the Chief Minister vowed to always affirm his avowed principles, drawing a thunder of applause in the floor of the House.
Speaker M. Appavu thanked the Chief Minister for his efforts to maintain the dignity of the Legislature by legally fighting for its rights. It was the same Assembly that first passed a Bill providing voting rights for women in 1921 and then a Bill to rename the state as Tamil Nadu, both during the tenure of C.N. Annadurai as Chief Minister, he said.
Even during the tenure of M. Karunanidhi many path-breaking Bills were passed in the Assembly like the one providing property rights for women and the setting up of the water supply board, he said. He regretted that the opposition AIADMK did not have a word of praise for the verdict though one of the Bills related to naming the fisheries university after their late leader J. Jayalalithaa.
The DMK celebrated the verdict all over the state, particularly at its headquarters, Anna Arivalayam, in Chennai by distributing sweets and lighting firecrackers with organisation secretary R.S. Bharathi and deputy general secretary A. Raja welcoming the enthusiastic cadre who thronged there on hearing about the judgment.
Senior counsel P. Wilson, MP, who argued the case at the Supreme Court was honoured by the Chief Minister and senior leaders amidst the celebrations at the Assembly premises. CPI state general secretary R. Mutharasan was among the many leaders who called on Stalin to congratulate him. Lawyers owing allegiance to the DMK also distributed sweets in the court premises all over the state.
