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This is an archive article published on January 12, 2023
Tamil Nadu Assembly unanimously passes resolution urging Centre to implement Sethusamudram project
The project, which aims to create a shipping route between India and Sri Lanka, had been the focal point of political and religious tensions for decades. CM Stalin who moved the resolution said the project was originally conceived by Command Taylor in 1860 at a cost of Rs 50 lakh.
CM Stalin who moved the resolution in the Assembly said the project was originally conceived by Command Taylor in 1860 at a cost of Rs 50 lakh. (File)
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Tamil Nadu Assembly unanimously passes resolution urging Centre to implement Sethusamudram project
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Tamil Nadu Assembly Thursday unanimously passed a resolution urging the Central Government to implement the Sethusamudram project without further delay.
Chief Minister M K Stalin moved the resolution and it was passed unanimously with all parties, including the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), Paattali Makkal Katchi (PMK), and even the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) giving their support.
The project, which aims to create a shipping route between India and Sri Lanka, had been the focal point of political and religious tensions for several decades.
CM Stalin who moved the resolution in the Assembly said the project was originally conceived by Command Taylor in 1860 at a cost of Rs 50 lakh. Later, in the coming years it was studied by several experts and engineers, he said. Stalin, who is the president of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), termed the project a dream of Arignar Anna and Kalaignar Karunanidhi had fought tirelessly to implement it.
Noting that former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee accorded permission to conduct the feasibility study for the project during the tenure of his NDA government, Stalin said that the UPA government in 2004 allocated Rs 2.427 crore for the project and while the work was taking place midway, it was stalled by the BJP for political reasons. Stalin also alleged that the late AIADMK supremo Jayalalithaa, who had supported the project, later changed her stand and filed a case against the project.
Recalling Union Minister Jitendra Singh’s comment that it would be difficult to analyse what kind of structure seen in the Rameswaram coast, the DMK president noted delaying the project will only further affect the economic growth of the state. He urged the members of the House to cooperate with him to pass this resolution unanimously.
Claiming that certain vested interests are attempting to delay the project, Stalin urged the Central Government to implement the project so that the country’s growth is not stalled.
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During the Assembly session, former Chief Minister O Panneerselvam asked the government to start the project considering all pros and cons.
Meanwhile, the BJP and AIADMK leaders urged the Speaker of the House to expunge remarks made against Lord Ram. AIADMK MLA Pollachi V Jayaraman raised an objection to calling Lord Ram a fictional character and said he is an ‘avathara purushan’. At this point, CM Stalin intervened and said no one criticised any religion or God.
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