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Stalin thanks Rahul Gandhi for raising 'arguments of Tamil' in Parliament

"You have voiced the long-standing arguments of Tamils in the Parliament, which rest on the unique cultural and political roots that value Self Respect," Stalin said on Twitter.

Updated on: Feb 3, 2022, 13:06:40 IST
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Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin on Thursday praised Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for his "rousing" speech in Lok Sabha, a day earlier. Taking to Twitter to thank the senior Congress leader, Stalin said Gandhi expressed the "idea of Indian Constitution in an emphatic manner."

Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin (HT Archives)
Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin (HT Archives)

"You have voiced the long-standing arguments of Tamils in the Parliament, which rest on the unique cultural and political roots that value Self Respect," Stalin added in another tweet.

On Tuesday, Gandhi spoke in the Lok Sabha during the motion of thanks to President Ram Nath Kovind for his opening statements on the first day of the Budget session on Monday (January 31). During the speech, he slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government at the Centre, saying the idea of ‘shahenshah (king)’ has come back in India.

He further asserted that there are "two Indias" presently - one is rich and the other is poor, and the gap between the two is widening. Slamming the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government at the Centre, Gandhi said India has also been described by the union of states, and that means one needs to have conversation and negotiation in order to move forward with development.

"This centralised vision of the king has been removed by Congress in 1947. Now the idea of the king has come back. Now there is a king, a Shahenshah, a ruler of rulers and master of masters," he said, adding, "as a result the instrument of conversation between states and our people which we call the institutions of our country are being attacked and captured by one idea." The Congress leader then stated that this is why the BJP will never be able to form its government in Tamil Nadu.

Expanding on his union of states remark, Gandhi said the concept is defined by the fact that his “brother from Tamil Nadu has the same right” as his “sister from Maharashtra.” When asked by mediapersons later about mentioning the southern state in his speech, the Congress leader said he is a "Tamil".

Stalin's Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) party is part of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) coalition which is led by the Congress party.

The 2022 Budget Session of the Parliament commenced on January 31 with President Kovind's address. The first part of the Budget Session is being held from January 31 to February 11 and the second part will take place from March 14 to April 8.

(With agency inputs)

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