December 27, 2012

Statement of Dr. Subramanian Swamy

The TN CM Ms. Jayalalitha is perfectly justified in walking out of the NDC meeting. How can a CM present the state's perspective in just 10 minutes ? If not enough time was there the meeting could have continued the next day. But to humiliate a CM by ring of a bell as if some school debate was being conducted shows the depths to which UPA has sunk.

In any case the NDC has become irrelevant and out of date because of economic liberalization Soviet type planning has become a formality and of no consequence. Hence NDC should be abolished and Planning Commission wound up.

Published: December 27, 2012 12:24 IST | Updated: December 27, 2012 13:00 IST
Jayalalithaa walks out of NDC meet

PTI

The Hindu Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalitha at the 57th National Development Council meeting in New Delhi on Thursday. Accusing the Centre of stifling the voices of Chief Ministers, Ms. Jayalalithaa walked out of the meeting. Photo: Ramesh Sharma
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa on Thursday walked out of the National Development Council (NDC) meeting here, accusing the Centre of “stifling” the voice of Chief Ministers by restricting their speeches to 10 minutes.

Coming out of the Vigyan Bhawan, the venue of the meeting presided over by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, she said it was a “big humiliation” for her to be stopped from completing her speech at the NDC meeting.

She said the Centre came out with a “new method” of limiting the speeches of Chief Ministers to 10 minutes which was not enough to articulate their views.

Sources said each Chief Minister was alloted 10 minutes and was forewarned. Ms. Jayalalithaa had come to Page 10 out of her 28-page speech when the bell rang, they said.

Ms. Jayalalithaa said she had come prepared with several points to “enlighten the interest of Tamil Nadu and the interest of the nation.”

"It's a big humiliation"

“But I was told only 10 minutes will be allowed to each CM. On that, if we speak beyond the alloted 10 minutes then a bell would ring. I began my speech and as the 10 minutes were up, they rang a bell. It was a big humiliation,” she said.

The Tamil Nadu Chief Minister said there had been many occasions where the Chief Ministers were allowed to speak for 25 to 35 minutes.

“To show my protest, I have walked out of the NDC meeting because the plan document itself is so lengthy and encompasses so many subjects...Just by allowing 10 minutes and humiliating us in this way, they need not have to call us all the way to Delhi to participate in this meeting,” she said.

“It stifled the voice of the Chief Ministers who are in the opposition,” she said.

The Tamil Nadu Chief Minister immediately left for Chennai cutting short her stay.

http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/jayalalithaa-walks-out-of-ndc-meet/article4244531.ece?homepage=true

Jayalalithaa walks out of NDC meet, accuses Centre of partial treatment to non-Cong CMs

HEADLINES TODAY BUREAU  | New Delhi, December 27, 2012 | 11:39

Tamil Nadu CM J Jayalalithaa. A major controversy broke out during a meeting of chief ministers in the national capital as Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa walked out of the National Development Council (NDC) meet on Thursday claiming she was not given enough time to present her views. Jayalalithaa slammed the central government for alleged fixing, claiming only chief ministers of Congress and its allies were allowed to speak. "At this meeting of the National Development Council the voice of the chief ministers has been cycled. We have not been allowed to present our views. I had come prepared with several points which were vital for the interests of Tamil Nadu. They told me that only 10 minutes will be allotted for my speech," Jayalalithaa said. "I began my speech. As 10 minutes got over, the bell rang. It was very humiliating. I have attended many meetings. But such a procedure has never been followed in the past. I had barely finished one-third of my speech. I said that the rest of my speech can be taken as read. To show my protest, I walked out of the meeting," she added. "No chief ministers can be expected to put forth their views in just 10 minutes. Just to humiliate, they should not have called us all the way long to Delhi to participate in this meeting," the AIADMK leader said.