MODI-JAYA BONHOMIE UPSETS OPP PARTIES
Saturday, 08 August 2015 | Kumar Chellappan | Chennai
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa on Friday raised a slew of issues with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, including inter-State river disputes, the GST
rollout and the problems of Sri Lankan Tamils.
Jayalalithaa presented a detailed memorandum to Modi during their 50-minute luncheon meeting at her Poes Garden residence in Chennai.
Jayalalithaa received the Prime Minister (PM) at the Chennai airport, but she did not take part in the National Handloom Day inauguration by Modi. After the two-hour-long Handloom Day programme at Madras University auditorium, the PM drove down to Veda Nilayam, Jayalalithaa’s residence at Chennai’s Poes Garden.
Later Modi also called on writer Cho Ramaswamy at
his residence.
Modi’s action has upset leaders of other political parties in the State who fear the advantage scored by Jayalalithaa in the run up to the Tamil Nadu Assembly election which is round the corner.
According to sources in the AIADMK, Jayalalithaa hosted a sumptuous vegetarian lunch for the PM that was prepared by chefs of Veda Nilayam and Raj Bhavan. Modi is no stranger to Jayalalithaa’s residence, having been hosted by the Chief Minister many times before he was sworn in as Prime Minister.
Jayalalithaa presented Modi a shawl and a bouquet of flowers and handed over a 21-page memorandum listing some of the pressing problems of the State which needed urgent Central intervention.
During the meeting with Modi, Jayalalithaa expressed “concern” about the impact the GST rollout will have on the State’s autonomy, besides the “huge permanent revenue loss”.
She recalled having suggested a “radical approach” where levy, collection and appropriation of the substitutes for VAT, Central Excise Duty and Service Tax within a State could be delegated completely to the State machinery, with the Central machinery focusing on inter-State taxation.
She said a manufacturing State like Tamil Nadu will “permanently lose substantial revenue” if GST is implemented, due to the shift of levy from the point of origin to the point of destination. The loss due to GST could also be due to phasing out of Central Sales Tax and transfer of input tax credit on inter-State sales and inter-State stock transfers to the destination States, Jayalalithaa said.
Due to the difficulty in fixing even nominally-high revenue neutral rates, Tamil Nadu’s revenue loss under GST would be around Rs 9,270 crore, she said.
“Tamil Nadu reiterates the need for a constitutionally-mandated independent compensation mechanism for full (100 per cent) compensation of revenue losses suffered by the States for a period of not less than five years,” she said.
The memorandum presented to the PM called for the immediate formation of the Cauvery Management Board and Cauvery Water Regulation Committee as per the 2007 final award of the Cauvery Water Dispute Tribunal. Jayalalithaa has also demanded that the Union Government ask the Government of Karnataka not to take up the construction of Mekedatu Dam.
Another demand is the deployment of CISF guards at Mullaperiyar Dam, a bone of contention between Tamil Nadu and Kerala.
Retrieval of Katchatheevu, an island off Rameswaram in the narrow Palk Strait that divides Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka and protection of Tamil Nadu fishermen who venture out into Palk Bay are some of the other demands listed by Jayalalithaa.
In her memorandum, Jayalalithaa said Katchatheevu, “was originally under the ownership of the Raja of Ramanathapuram for which there is sufficient documentary proof. The Indian fishermen enjoyed traditional fishing rights in and around the island of Katchatheevu.
After agreements in 1974 and 1976, Katchatheevu was ceded to Sri Lanka. The fishermen of Tamil Nadu have since been deprived of their fishing rights around the islet.”
Jayalalithaa said Katchatheevu was ceded to Sri Lanka illegally because the Supreme Court had ruled in 1960 that any territory owned by India can be given away only through a constitutional amendment.
“India should, hence, take active steps to abrogate the 1974 and 1976 agreements and retrieve Katchatheevu and restore the traditional fishing rights of the fishermen of Tamil Nadu,” the memorandum said.
Jayalalithaa also urged Modi to secure the release of 31 Tamil Nadu fishermen and 23 boats from Sri Lankan custody and to protect the fishing rights of Tamil Nadu fishermen in the Palk Strait.
Referring to the problems of Sri Lankan Tamils, Jayalalithaa said their distinct identity and cultural presence was the guiding principle behind the India-Sri Lanka accord of 1987.
That accord, which led to the deployment of Indian troops in Sri Lanka, triggered the 13th amendment to the Sri Lankan Constitution.
“The process of securing the right to self-determination, through democratic decentralization by the 13th amendment ... should be the springboard for Sri Lankan Tamils to eventually realise the aspiration of Tamil Eelam,” the memorandum noted.
“I strongly urge the Indian Government to take all possible steps to ensure that the process of democratic decentralization, which is integral to the survival of the Tamils in Sri Lanka, is expedited,” she said.
Jayalalithaa urged the Centre “to take necessary measures to bring to book those in Sri Lanka who had perpetrated the genocide on innocent Tamils in Sri Lanka”.
“Government of India should take the initiative in this regard in appropriate international fora like the United Nations Human Rights
Council,” she added.
On the power sector, Jayalalithaa said Ministry of Power should complete the bidding process “at the earliest” to allow the State to commence the 4000 MW Cheyyur Ultra-mega power project. She also called for speedy completion of inter-regional transmission lines.
After the meeting with Jayalalithaa, Modi also called on an ailing Cho Ramaswamy, an old friend who publicly demanded that Modi be made the Prime Minister way back in 2008.
Modi calling on Jayalalithaa has resulted in a lot of heartburn among the allies of the BJP in the 2014 Lok Sabha election. Vijayakant, the DMDK leader, made his displeasure known by declaring that he does not have anything to do with the BJP. For “Captain” (as Vijayakanth is addressed by fans), Jayalalithaa is enemy No.1 and he would not hesitate to cast his lot with even the DMK, according to DMDK insiders.