NEWSLINKS US EDITION SOUTH ASIA COLUMNISTS DIARY SPECIALS INTERVIEWS CAPITAL BUZZ REDIFF POLL DEAR REDIFF THE STATES ELECTIONS ARCHIVES SEARCH REDIFF
Ruling All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and main opposition Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam in Tamil Nadu on Sunday rejected the demand of the Pattali Makkal Katchi for bifurcation of the state.
PMK chief Dr Ramadoss in a party conference at Uthiramerur had demanded a separate state for Vanniyar community, a majority in the northern districts of the state.
"Since independence, no Vanniyar, who formed 30 per cent of the state's population could become a chief minister and only a separate state, consisting of 15 northern districts could enable a Vanniyar to become the chief minister," Ramadoss had reportedly said.
Reacting sharply, AIADMK chief and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa described as 'dangerous' the demand by the PMK chief Dr S Ramadoss, saying it only exposed his 'true colours' as a 'casteist and separatist', while DMK chief M Karunanidhi in a mild response dismissed it as 'impractical and unacceptable'.
Jayalalithaa alleged that Ramadoss had come up with this demand after his 'dreams, along with the dreams of (MDMK chief) Vaiko, (Tamil Nationalist Movement leader) P Nedumaran and Karunanidhi to create a grand Tamil Nadu by joining it with North Sri Lanka had been shattered'.
"The demand does not surprise me as the separatist forces who had encouraged fissiparous tendencies, will attempt to encourage such forces by any method," she said, adding Ramadoss's statement had only exposed that he was still a 'casteist force'.
Karunanidhi said, "The demand is impractical and it is better if Ramadoss does not press the demand as it will lead to dangerous consequences and controversies."
Jayalalithaa took strong objection to the presence of the two PMK ministers at a conference in which Ramdoss made the statement demanding bifurcation of the state.
Congress, Communist Party of India -- Marxist and Tamil Maanila Congress had already condemned the bifurcation demand.
Alleging that Ramadoss had created a 'bad precedent' by converting Vanniyar Sangam as a political party and in indulging in 'anti-national activities' by supporting a terrorist organisation like the LTTE, Jayalalithaa said, "Dr Ramadoss has revealed his true colours. It is a dangerous trend to demand a separate state for a particular community."
Former Union minister and a prominent Vanniyar leader Vazhapadi K Ramamurthy said the demand was only to instigate Vanniyar community youth to indulge in violence in support of the 'separatist demand'. He said Jayalalithaa should not hesitate to take action against Ramadoss for making the demand.
TNCC President E V K S Elangovan had described the demand as dangerous, while the CPI-M leader N Varadarajan had likened the demand to that of RSS, which had demanded trifurcation of Jammu and Kashmir.
Tell us what you think of this report
