Chennai: Reviving the DMK’s old demand for State autonomy, Chief Minister M K Stalin pledged to take all initiatives to bring in the necessary Constitutional amendments through legislations to ensure that the States governments were provided all essential powers.
Speaking at a meeting organized to mark the DMK’s 75th anniversary or Diamond Jubilee and the State government’s Mupperum Vizha (three great celebrations) at Chennai on Tuesday, Stalin said the State autonomy was a much cherished dream of former party stalwarts C N Annadurai and M Karunanidhi and stressed on the need for it now to ensure the growth of the State.
Recalling Karunanidhi’s lament that even if the party was in power in Fort St George, the government did not have to power to even mow the grass in the premises, he said that the present situation was worse that even the right to question the levying of GST for cream bun had been taken away.
Indirectly referring to the recent incident in Coimbatore where a prominent restaurant chain owner was made to privately apologise to Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman for raising a question at a meeting on GST, Stalin said that the DMK’s Diamond Jubilee was an occasion to give a clarion call to win State autonomy.
Accusing the Union Government of depriving the States of their powers and rights and necessary funds, he said Tamil Nadu had managed to be on top with the limited resources. If the Union Government made available all the funds due to the State, it would do much better, he said.
Listing out the various welfare schemes that had helped the State remain on top of the pack in the country, he said the DMK was continuously winning elections because it was serving the people by addressing their needs through the implementation of the various schemes in the past 75 years.
However, not all the dreams of the party had been realized and hence the DMK was needed to be in power till it reached it centenary, he said, urging the cadre to not be complacent but actively work for the success of the party in the coming elections, particularly the one for the Assembly in 2026.
For a party to win the confidence of the people and succeed, it should have lofty principles, an army of dedicated soldiers to give shape to those principles and a proper leadership and the DMK had it all - the Dravidian Principles to guide it, the cadre to protect the principles and a courageous leadership chosen by the brave cadre - he said.
Exuding confidence over the people of the State standing by the DMK for its concern for the people and the good governance, he told the cadre that the series of electoral victories were not won only by him but due to their hard work.
The meeting saw the handing over of awards instituted in the names of party leaders and the winner of the M K Stalin award, S S Palanimanickam, a former Union Minister, in his acceptance speech on behalf of all the awardees made an open demand to make State Minister for Youth Development as Deputy Chief Minister.
