Chennai, Jun 18: Commitment to safeguarding 69 per cent reservation, following the two-language policy and opposition to NEP and NEET formed part of the TVK regime’s policies outlined by Governor RV Arlekar in his Address on Thursday in the Tamil Nadu Assembly.
It clearly signals that the Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay-led government stays the course on core Dravidian principles.
Governor Arlekar in his address said that since the times of CN Annadurai, the two-language policy has been followed in Tamil Nadu, and the government will continue to follow this policy since it has been accepted by the people.
Dravidian icon Annadurai is the founder of the DMK and a former chief minister (1967-69) who dislodged the Congress party from the seat of power in Tamil Nadu in 1967.
The governor said: “This government will urge the Union Government to use Tamil as the language of pleading in the Madras High Court and its Madurai Bench and to establish a Bench of the Supreme Court in Chennai.”
It is a fundamental policy of the government that true social justice lies in every community getting due representation.
“To fulfil this policy and promise, we will urge the union government to swiftly complete the caste enumeration in conjunction with the ongoing population Census. After the union government completes the caste enumeration, the government of Tamil Nadu will conduct the social justice survey,” he said.
The government will strongly oppose the National Education Policy, 2020, he said.
The union government’s stand that the amount of Rs 3,458 crore due to Tamil Nadu under the “Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan” (SSA)
will be released only if the three-language formula under the NEP is implemented is unacceptable.
This is tantamount to imposing the three-language formula on Tamil Nadu. This government will urge the union government to reconsider its stand linking the implementation of three-language formula with the allocation of funds and to immediately release the funds due to Tamil Nadu, Arlekar said.
Issues such as NEET, “imposition” of the NEP and three-language formula have arisen consequent to education being in concurrent list of the Constitution. “Therefore, this government will undertake all necessary efforts to move education from the Concurrent List to the State List of the Constitution,” he added.
It may be recalled that dropping education from the concurrent list is also the stand of the DMK and AIADMK– the traditional Dravidian heavewights.
Arlekar said that the government of Tamil Nadu is firm in protecting social justice and is undertaking every effort to safeguard Tamil Nadu’s 69 per cent reservation.
Moreover, standing as a bulwark for minorities, this government will always support the advancement of minorities and will always uphold their rights.
“I am confident that this government will stand tall as a truly Secular, Social-Justice Government.”
In keeping with saint-poet Thirualluvar’s words, all lives are equal by birth and this government will function as a “government for all and a government for the people — honestly, transparently and with full openness, free of favour or prejudice.”
On the Cauvery-Mekedatu issue, the Governor said Tamil Nadu has the right to use Cauvery water from time immemorial.
“Even after our right was upheld in the Supreme Court, we are having to struggle every year to obtain Cauvery water.”
Instead of giving TN’s due share of water, only surplus water is being released to the state by the Government of Karnataka.
In this situation, the Government of Karnataka is attempting to implement the Mekedatu project, he said.
If this project is implemented, agricultural production as well as farmers livelihood will be severely affected.
“This government is taking necessary legal measures to halt this and to get water for Tamil Nadu at the right time.”
On Mullai Periyar issue, the government said it will take firm measures to prevent the government of Kerala’s attempt to build a new dam.
Tamil Nadu will take concerted action to carry out repair works in the Mullai Periyar dam area and raise its water level.
“This government will make intensive efforts to implement the river-interlinking project, first to interlink the rivers within Tamil Nadu and further to urge the Union Government to interlink the rivers of the southern states,” he said.
The government is firm that industries must grow and workers must thrive in order to achieve the target set by the Chief Minister to transform Tamil Nadu to a USD 1.5 trillion economy by 2036.
With the aim of promoting the State’s economic stability and industrial growth, while maintaining continuity with the previous
industrial policies, this government will notify a new industrial policy that considers the present and future requirements, Arlekar announced. (PTI)
