Justifying the DMK’s decision to support joint Opposition parties’ Vice-Presidential candidate Sudershan Reddy, a ‘man of the masses’, Tamil Nadu Assembly Speaker M. Appavu has slammed the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance for reposing its faith in a ‘RSS man’, who has done nothing good for Tamil Nadu and the Tamils even though he is from this State.
After garlanding the statue of freedom fighter Ondieervan at the memorial in Palayamkottai on Wednesday, Mr. Appavu said, Justice Reddy had passed a judgment that the governments, while taking back the lands assigned to the poor after a period, should ensure the disbursal of all compensation applicable to other patta lands, including compensation for structures if any created on the land.
His judgment also paved way for the constitution of Special Investigation Team to retrieve the black money stashed in foreign banks.
When Ambani brothers fought over winning the rights for oil and gas exploration in Krishna Godhavari Basin, Justice Sudershan Reddy’s judgment stopped their attempt by giving the rights to Oil and Natural Gas Commission, a public sector undertaking. His ruling in 2010 on this issue led to Mukesh Ambani paying a hefty fine a couple of years ago.
On the question of supporting Mr. Radhakrishnan, a Tamilian, the Speaker wondered if the BJP leaders from Tamil Nadu, including Union Minister L. Murugan and party’s State president Nainar Nagenthiran had done anything good for the State and the Tamils.
“Will Mr. Radhakrishnan, if elected, take any effective step to permanently end the frequent attacks on the Tamil fishermen by the SriLankan navy? What did Mr. Murugan and Mr. Nainar Nagenthiran do to get Tamil Nadu’s share of ₹2,151 crore under the Samagra Siksha Abhiyan from the Union Government?,” Mr. Appavu asked.
On the Bill introduced in the Parliament on Wednesday by Home Minister Amit Shah empowering the Governors to sack Chief Ministers and the Ministers if they were held on serious charges and kept in custody for 30 days, the Speaker replied that it was nothing but ploy by the BJP government at the Centre to crush political opponents troubling the Union Government.
Published – August 20, 2025 05:21 pm IST
