Centre, state must stop bickering and help flood-hit, says Jayakumar

CHENNAI: Slamming both the governments at Centre and State, former minister and AIADMK organising secretary D Jayakumar told Ramakrishna that both the governments should consider the depth of vulnerability caused by the unprecedented rains and Cyclone Michaung and help the people of Tamil Nadu without any politics. Excerpts from the interview with DT Next…

Q.Your opinion on CM Stalin’s close aid K Ponmudy being sentenced for 3 years in jail in disproportionate assets (DA) case....

A. DMK is a party steeped in corruption with lots of disproportionate assets cases. The DMK regime was dismissed for corruption. It was its late leader M Karunanidhi who introduced corruption to Tamil Nadu.

Amma’s (Jayalalithaa) government filed various cases against the DMK because no corrupt person should escape. It is on that basis that now one by one, they (DMK Ministers) are going to jail. DMK Ministers are queuing up to go to jail.

Q.Will the AIADMK join a coalition or form a separate alliance for the upcoming parliamentary elections?

A.There is still time for the parliamentary elections. In due course, the alliance will be announced.

Q.Will there be an alliance with the BJP again?

A.There is no possibility of an alliance with the BJP under any circumstances. There is no 100 per cent chance. Reports that both sides are trying for an alliance are false.

How the TN government performed during Cyclone Michaung and the unprecedented heavy rains and subsequent floods in the southern districts?

A. If proper precautionary warning had been given to the public, there would have been no need for people to rush for essential commodities. People suffered a lot due to lack of food and medicine. An average of Rs 50,000 per house has been lost. The DMK government has put the people of Tamil Nadu to untold misery.

Q.The DMK government is saying that the Chennai Regional Meteorological Centre is responsible for the heavy rains and floods as proper weather precautions have not been given to the government....

A.Chennai Regional Meteorological Centre has done its duty. There is no difference of opinion. Weather warnings have been issued that there will be heavy to very heavy rains due to Cyclone Michaung and a very heavy rainfall warning was also issued to southern districts. But, the Tamil Nadu government did not care about it. This is a government that cannot deal with natural calamities properly. First, they said that they allocated Rs 4,000 crore to construct storm water drains in Chennai. But, Local Administration Minister KN Nehru says that only 50 per cent of the amount was spent after the flood. The government should publish a white paper on the works and how much has been spent.

Q.The state government has announced relief aid of Rs 6,000 for the flood-hit people....

A. Giving relief aid of Rs 6,000 is not enough. When the floods came in 2015, during the AIADMK rule, ‘Amma’ gave Rs 5,000 as relief aid to all category people, without any conditions. Now the year is 2023. Compared to 2015, 8 years have passed. So, everyone should be given Rs 12,000. However, the Rs 6,000 compensation was not given to all the people. There is also confusion in disbursement. The DMK government is a sadistic government that tortures and makes people suffer and take pleasure in it.

The people are watching the negligence of the government. People are very angry with the DMK government. This expression of anger will surely reverberate in the coming parliamentary elections.

Q.There has been a clash of words between the Union and state governments regarding the demand for disaster relief funds...

A. AIADMK has no alternative opinion that the Union government should help Tamil Nadu. But, at the same time, the state government should undertake flood relief and rescue operations from its own financial resources. Apart from this, this is not the time to talk about ‘Idhu yar appan veettu kaasu.’ In a situation where the public has lost everything and is standing in the middle of the street, what you have to do is to lift them up. The Union government should provide adequate funds to Tamil Nadu. But, the state government should not get away with blaming only the Centre. Disaster struck in the AIADMK regime as well. Then we also asked the Centre for disaster relief funds. But, as usual, they delivered less.

Q.Regarding Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin’s comment on the disaster relief fund...?

A. Childish. Shows political immaturity. Udhayanidhi Stalin should learn from me how to speak in politics. Udhayanidhi continues to reveal that he is an immature and a political novice by saying “Ungappan, Engappan.”

Q.How does the AIADMK see FM Nirmala Sitharaman’s statement that Cyclone Michaung and the heavy rains in the Southern districts cannot be declared as national calamity?

A. Whether there are provisions in the law or not, public impact should be considered as the criterion for declaring a national calamity. TN has been severely affected by unprecedented rains and floods. Considering the depth of the vulnerability, it would be good to help TN. Apart from that, it is very wrong to shirk one’s responsibility saying that it is not in the law or in rules.