The DMK-led Opposition parties in Tamil Nadu have warned the Centre that they would break India and get the State seceded from the Union. The ultimatum was issued by Vaiko, founder of the MDMK and K Veeramani, the Dravida Kazhakam leader, during a mammoth rally held at Tiruchirapalli late on Tuesday evening.
MK Stalin, president, DMK, who was the chief guest of the rally declared that he fully endorsed the demands made by Vaiko and Veeramani. The DMK chief went one step further and declared that his party would not allow Prime Minister Narendra Modi to enter Tamil Nadu.
The root cause for the outbursts of the Dravidian leaders was the permission given by the Central Water Commission to the Government of Karnataka to prepare a detailed project report (DPR) on the dam to be built at Mekedatu across the Cauvery River.
“We will break India. We will not allow Narendra Modi to enter Tamil Nadu even for an election campaign,” said Vaiko. Others who were present during the occasion included S Thirunavakarassar, president, TNCC.
“Secession from India will become inevitable for Tamil Nadu if Karnataka is allowed to build a dam across Cauvery,” declared Vaiko and Veeramani. The DMK leader reminded the Centre that DMK founder CN Annadurai had said that his party would give up the demand for secession but he had announced that the reasons for secession were still alive.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi Palaniswamy has written a letter to Prime Minister Modi informing him about the concerns of the State over the move by Karnataka to go ahead with the preparation of the DPR to build the Mekedatu balancing reservoir-cum-drinking water project, Palaniswamy had alleged in his letter that Karnataka’s motive behind building the dam was not only to provide drinking water but to increase the extent of irrigation in that State and this was against the verdict of the Cauvery Water Dispute Tribunal.
Vaiko’s call for secession and Stalin’s support for the same has come at a time when the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly is meeting to discuss the contentious issue. Governor Banwarilal Purohit ha convened a special session of the legislative assembly on Thursday to discuss the proposal of the Karanataka Government to build a reservoir.
What is to be noted is that the call by Dravidian leaders to secede from India has become quite frequent in the last one year. Stalin, while addressing a meeting at Erode in March declared that south Indian States should stand together and demand a separate Dravida Nadu.
“If such a situation comes, it would be welcome. We hope that such a situation arises,” Stalin had said. The DMK historian K Thirunavukarassu pointed out that the demand for separate Dravida Nadu was a live issue and it still figured prominently in the Constitution of the party.
Govind Bharathan, senior lawyer, pointed out that Stalin, Vaiko and Veeramani have landed in trouble with the declarations they made on Tuesday. “They could be hauled into a court of law under the provisions of the Sedition Act. It will cost them dear,” said Bharathan.
The threat of Dravidian leaders to break from India has come at a time when Tamil Nadu is preparing to host the second edition of the Global Investors Meeting in the month of January 2019.