Former Finance Minister V.R. Nedunchezhian, whose birth centenary fell on Saturday, was such a stickler for organisational discipline that he had disregarded his personal position on the issue of abolition of Legislative Council in May 1986, according to ‘Panruti’ S. Ramachandran, a key member of the M.G. Ramachandran Cabinet (1977-87) and former Minister for Public Works, Electricity and Food.
For over 30 years, the Council’s revival remained a non-starter despite the DMK, while being in power, attempting thrice — 1989, 1996 and 2010. In the 2016 Assembly elections, the DMK had even included it in its manifesto.
Recalling events leading to the controversial decision on the Council abolition, Mr. Ramchandran, ranked no.3 next to Nedunchezhian, said the Chief Minister had first taken the support of the then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi on the issue during a visit to New Delhi. “I had accompanied him then and discussed the matter with the Prime Minister,” he said.
On returning to Chennai, as asked by M.G.R., he [Mr. Ramchandran] conveyed the decision to Nedunchezhian, who was also the Leader of House in the Assembly. The initial reaction of the latter was one of strong disapproval. “He had often likened the Legislative Assembly and Legislative Council to a cup and saucer and held the view that the Council, being an Upper House, could provide course correction to certain decisions of the Assembly,” the former Minister pointed out.
But Mr. Ramachandran told him that the abolition of the Council was the Chief Minister’s decision. Not just that. The Chief Minister had wanted him [Nedunchezhian] to pilot a motion in the Assembly on the subject. “Not only he agreed to go along with M.G.R.’s decision but also commendably justified it in the House during the discussion,” Mr. Ramachandran recalled.
Endorsing the former Electricity Minister’s observation that there was no Cabinet decision, H.V. Hande, who was the Health Minster during 1980-86 and a member of the Upper House, said: “A decision of M.G.R. was as good as that of the Cabinet.” Dr. Hande had lost his job in the wake of the Council abolition and was accommodated as the deputy general secretary of the AIADMK.
C. Ponnaiyan, another member of the M.G.R. Cabinet in charge of Transport, Law and Education over the 10 years, said the abolition of the Council through a resolution of the Assembly was the proper course of action as the Upper House was created by an Act of the colonial era.
On Nedunchezhian’s style of functioning, C. Ponnaiyan, another member of the MGR Cabinet in charge of Transport, Law and Education over the 10 years, said as a Minister, he would thoroughly peruse files and insist on getting views of Secretaries of the departments concerned. “If any Secretary did not record his or her view on the file, he would send back the file and get their opinion,” the former Law Minister said adding that as leader of the party, his focus was always on the unity of the party and reconciliation among members of the organisation.
