The Big Story: Chaos in the house

On the face of it, the idea of forcibly removing legislators from the house seems undemocratic. But in situations such as the one witnessed in Tamil Nadu last week, there is often no option.

Chaos reigned in the Tamil Nadu Assembly on February 18, when legislators voted on a motion of confidence moved by Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami. Members of the Opposition Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam decided to stall the vote since their demand for a secret ballot was not accepted. They broke chairs and tables, tore up files, occupied the speaker’s chair in his absence and stood on their seats and shouted slogans.

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The vote, which Palaniswami confortably won, was the crescendo of the turmoil that split the ruling All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam after former Chief Minister O Panneerselvam revolted against party general secretary VK Sasikala on February 7.

The DMK had its own reasons for disrupting the Assembly. In public perception, Panneerselvam had suddenly emerged as the main rival to the AIADMK led by Sasikala. For the DMK’s working president MK Stalin, who has been trying to become the chief minister for years now, this was no good news. All these years, the biggest hurdle in his path to take over party control and the chief minister’s chair was his own father, DMK president M Karunanidhi. With the nonagenarian now ill and politically inactive, Stalin was in no mood to cede ground and allow another contender for chief minister to emerge.

His party’s in the Assembly on Saturday was a ploy to gain public attention. The popular hatred towards Sasikala may have ensured that there has been no backlash against the DMK’s actions in the house. But this tactic may not work for too long. Tamil Nadu is facing multiple challenges, including a severe water crisis brought by the failure of the monsoon. Since September 22, when former Chief Minister Jayalalithaa was admitted to a hospital, the state machinery has come to a complete standstill. Hardly any new programmes have been implemented.

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In such a situation, the people will expect the new government to deliver quickly. For the DMK, the best strategy would be to engage with the government and corner it through debate. This would ensure that the Opposition’s conduct does not become an excuse for the AIADMK, whose popularity is at historic lows, to continue its poor performance. The public is unlikely to countenance more disruptions.

The Big Scroll

  • Chief Minister Palaniswami may have won the vote of confidence, but he is yet to win public support, says Rohan Venkataramakrishnan
  • How the chaos in the Tamil Nadu Assembly has helped DMK working president MK Stalin reclaim his position as the main Opposition leader. 

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Punditry

  1. In the Indian Express, Pratap Bhanu Mehta addresses the serious questions that last week’s acquittals in the Delhi blast case raise about the prejudices in our political system. 
  2. Shashi Shekar in the Hindustan Times tells you why he is not too optimistic about the current round of Assembly elections helping better representation of women. 
  3. In the Mint, Rahul Matthan says time has come to use technology to make inter-state transport easier. 

Giggles

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Shreya Roy Chowdhury writes on why the latest Budget has come as a disappointment in delivering education to weaker sections.

“An analysis of the Budget by the National Campaign on Dalit Human Rights found denial of funds to the tune of Rs 40,000 crores for Scheduled Castes and Rs 18,000 crores for Scheduled Tribes. The allocations are meant to be in proportion to the size of their populations.

Abhay Xaxa, a member of the Campaign, said that large chunks of funds under the Scheduled Caste Sub-Plan and Scheduled Tribes Sub-Plan are for education programmes. ‘But the schemes are dropped like relief from helicopters with little attention to how much is really reaching the children,’ he said.”