Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK president M.K. Stalin condemned the BJP government at the Centre for the passage of the Dam Safety Bill, 2019 in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday and said the Bill was against federalism and would snatch away the rights of States.
“It is highly condemnable that the Union government has adamantly passed the Dam Safety Bill which is against federalism and the right of States. The DMK has consistently opposed the Bill when it was in the Opposition and now, when we are in power,” Mr. Stalin said in a statement.
The Chief Minister recalled the speech of the DMK MP A. Raja in Parliament when it was tabled in 2019. He said Mr. Raja had demanded, on behalf of the DMK, that the Bill be taken back as it was an attack on federalism and that it was being brought in, in an urgent manner.
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Mr. Stalin said, on Thursday, when the Bill came up for discussion in the Rajya Sabha, DMK MP Tiruchi Siva had said the Bill would infringe on basic rights and powers vested with State governments and would give additional powers to the Union government. Mr. Siva had also said the Bill was violative of Article 252-I of the Constitution and now, the protection of State powers itself had become a question mark.
Mr. Stalin also said DMK MP T.K.S Elangovan had demanded the Bill be sent to a select committee and on a similar motion moved by Mr. Siva, voting had taken place and other Opposition parties had supported the motion. “Especially when the AIADMK too had supported the demand, the Union BJP government used its brute majority to decide that the Bill need not be sent to a select committee and passed the Bill,” he said.
Mr. Stalin termed the passage of the Bill as a big fall in the Union-State relationship. “I want to remind all that the day when the Union BJP government will be answerable to the people for misusing its majority and enacting laws against State governments, is not far off,” he said.
