DMK to oppose statute review if minorities are hit

CHENNAI, MARCH 3: Chief Minister M Karunanidhi on Friday assured the State Assembly that the ruling DMK would totally oppose the recommend...

CHENNAI, MARCH 3: Chief Minister M Karunanidhi on Friday assured the State Assembly that the ruling DMK would totally oppose the recommendations of the Constitutional Review Committee (CRC) headed by retired Supreme Court chief justice M N Venkatachalaiah if it went against the interests of the minorities, state autonomy, secularism and country’s welfare.

He pointed out that Justice Venkatachalaiah agreed to head the Committee only after getting an assurance from Prime Minister A B Vajpayee that the basic principles of the Constitution would not be included in the terms of reference. He said even if the report is presented, the Parliament has to discuss it before accepting the recommendations.

The Chief Minister was intervening in the speech of CPI member K Subbarayan during the debate on the motion of thanks to the Governor for her address to the Assembly.

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Subbarayan described Vajpayee as best `actor’ who could not be trusted though he had assured that the basic principles of the Constitution would not be reviewed by the Committee. He said the same Vajpayee had assured Parliament with a `silver tongue’ that Babri Masjid would not be demolished. But they (BJP) pulled it down with crow bars.

The CPI member, supported by Leader of the Opposition S Balakrishnan, had another wrangling match with Law Minister Aladi Aruna when the latter said that the Congress, in the early seventies, had passed a resolution for changing the country’s basic Constitution as per changing circumstances. When Subbarayan pointed out that the Congress was a “secular party” but the BJP supported one particular religion, Aruna denied it. Aruna added that the `Congress is a party totally supporting a particular religion. Analysts say due to this there was communal disharmony in the country’.

Strongly denying the Minister’s statement, Balakrishnan said Aruna lacked knowledge of Congress’ policies. To this, the latter said he knew better about the Congress than Balakrishnan. The Minister reiterated that the Congress wholly supported a particular religion and by instigating Hindus it paved way for communal tension. “It is a party full of caste Hindus,” he remarked.

The verbal exchange between Balakrishan and Aruna generated much heat and at one stage the former wanted the DMK leadership (Karunanidhi) to take action against the Minister for his remarks against the Congress. When Aruna tried to continue his tirade against the Congress, the Chief Minister silenced him and the matter came to end.