Competitive politics over the Nepal tragedy played out in the Tamil Nadu Assembly on Thursday, with the ruling Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) government and the opposition DMK sparring over the government’s handling of the disaster that has left more than 80 people from the state unaccounted for.
The confrontation began when School Education Minister Raj Mohan attempted to make a detailed statement on the government’s efforts to trace the missing pilgrims in Nepal, even before the opposition’s calling attention motions on the disaster were taken up.
Today, the Chief Minister isn’t in the House,” Udhayanidhi said. The Speaker, JCD Prabhakar, initially cited a precedent from the Karur tragedy during the previous DMK regime, when the then Chief Minister MK Stalin had made a statement. However, he later allowed the opposition’s calling attention motions to be taken up first. “Both can’t be compared. It was the Chief Minister who made the statement then.
The minister said there was a delay in obtaining information about the remaining 34 people from the group and that the government was closely monitoring their whereabouts. In addition, Chennai-based Mahadev Kailash Yathira Agency had taken another 49 Tamil pilgrims to Nepal.
Defending his initial decision, the Speaker said, “It shouldn’t be about who raises first as all are interested in people’s issues. The government was checking their whereabouts and travel plans, he said.
The confrontation began when School Education Minister Raj Mohan attempted to make a detailed statement on the government’s efforts to trace the missing pilgrims, even before the opposition’s calling attention motions on the disaster were taken up.
