Cauvery row: AIADMK for no-trust move against Centre if Congress supports
In what appears to be a bid to shift the political onus on Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam on the Cauvery issue, senior All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhaga, leader M Thambidurai on Sunday said his party would consider moving a no-trust motion in Parliament against the National Democratic Alliance government if the Congress supported it.
"Stalin says the AIADMK should bring a no-trust motion (on Cauvery issue). We are ready to bring it," he told reporters at Chennai airport.
In the same breath, the Lok Sabha Deputy Speaker said Congress support was needed to facilitate such an initiative.
"Let Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi issue a statement (indicating support), they (DMK) are in alliance with them (Congress)... only if they (Congress) support, we will get the (requisite) numbers," he said.
Seeking to make his party's position clear, Thambidruai, a senior AIADMK leader from Western Tamil Nadu, said such a no-trust move would however be only for the Cauvery issue.
"Only
on
the
Cauvery
issue...
not
for
any
other
general
issue.
To
urge
constitution
of
the
Cauvery
Management
Board,
and
since
the
Centre
has
failed
to
do
that,
we
will
consider
that
if
other
parties
like
Congress
support
it."
Thambidurai's
assertion
comes
against
the
backdrop
of
Congress
ruled
Karnataka
going
to
the
polls
next
month,
where
Cauvery
is
an
emotive
issue
like
in
Tamil
Nadu.
Days ago, Stalin had demanded that the ruling AIADMK support the no-trust move of the Telugu Desam Party to mount pressure on the Centre to set up the Cauvery Management Board.
The DMK, the prinicpal opposition party in Tamil Nadu, has been relentless in its attack on the ruling AIADMK over Cauvery.
The Stalin-led party said it would hold continuous protests like the one today at Valluvar Kottam in Chennai, till the CMB was constituted.
With the support of its ally the Congress, and friendly parties, including Communist Party of India, Communist Party of India-Marxist, DMK has also announced a state-wide shutdown on April 5.
Farmers organisations and a traders body have given a bandh call on April 3 over the Cauvery issue and on the same day ruling AIADMK will hold hunger strike across Tamil Nadu.
Barring Chief Minister K Palaniswami and Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam, all other party leaders would participate, the AIADMK had said.
PTI