Thambidurai plays Congress card on moving no-trust motion by AIADMK

Lok Sabha Deputy Speaker M Thambidurai on Friday said the AIADMK did not have sufficient numbers of MPs in the Lok Sabha to move a no-confidence motion against the BJP government at the Centre and added that his party would do so if the Congress too supported such a motion.

In a statement here, Thambidurai hit out at Leader of Opposition MK Stalin for demanding that the AIADMK must support the no-confidence motion proposed by the parties in Andhra Pradesh and said the AIADMK could not join their competitive politics on the issue of special status for their state. 

Citing the requirement of 50 members in the Lok Sabha to bring a no-confidence motion, Thambidurai said his party would move the motion demanding the Centre to set up the Cauvery Management Board if the Congress, an ally of the DMK came forward to support it. 

He said the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh into two states was a historical blunder by the Congress and the YSR Congress under Rajasekhara Reddy had initiated the move to introduce a no-confidence motion. The TDP is afraid that the people would support YSR Congress in the Assembly and Lok Sabha elections next year and had proposed a no-confidence motion as a political ploy. 

Thambidurai said Andhra Pradesh too had built dams across the river Palar and refusing water to Tamil Nadu and asked, “What is the necessity for Stalin to compel the AIADMK support such a state?” He also alleged that the Andhra government is indulging in shooting and drowning of labourers from Tamil Nadu without any enquiry or humanity and asked how Stalin could force the AIADMK to support the TDP. 

“What is the difference between the Sinhalese government which kills Tamil Nadu fishermen and Andhra Pradesh government which portrays labourers from Tamil Nadu as those involved in red sanders smuggling and killing them?” he asked. He charged that 10,664 Tamils had been arrested by Andhra police after N Chandrababu Naidu took over as Chief Minister and asked why Stalin wanted the AIADMK to get into the political game of Andhra parties. 

He also recalled that DMK president M Karunanidhi was silent when thousands of Tamils were massacred in Sri Lanka. He also came down heavily on Stalin’s demand for the resignation of all the MPs from Tamil Nadu.