MK Stalin praises Rahul House speech ‘on behalf of all Tamils’

A day after Rahul Gandhi argued in Lok Sabha that the Centre cannot suppress languages, cultures and histories of states and cited the example of Tamil Nadu, Chief Minister M K Stalin on Thursday thanked the Congress leader for his “rousing speech in Parliament”, and for voicing the “long-standing arguments” of Tamils.

The two leaders share a warm relationship, and back in 2018 the DMK chief had first proposed Rahul’s name as the Opposition’s Prime Minister candidate for 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Last year, he had asked Rahul to take the leadership role to unite opposition parties to take on BJP.

On Thursday, Stalin tweeted, “Dear Rahul Gandhi, I thank you on behalf of all Tamils for your rousing speech in Parliament, expressing the idea of Indian Constitution in an emphatic manner. You have voiced the long-standing arguments of Tamils in Parliament, which rest on the unique cultural and political roots that value Self Respect.”

Thanking the Tamil Nadu CM for his “kind words”, Rahul posted, “The Tamils, along with the people of every other state of our country, are my brothers and sisters…I have no doubt that our shared belief in the pluralistic, federal & cooperative idea of India will triumph.”

Sharing a stage with Rahul in March 2021, before the Tamil Nadu Assembly polls, Stalin had said: “I have a kind request to Rahul Gandhi… No, a firm request. When we talk over the phone, sometimes I call him [Rahul] ‘Sir’. He would then correct me; he would ask me to call him brother. My brother Rahul, here is my humble and heartfelt request to you. India is being destroyed in the clutches of a fascist government now. You have the responsibility to protect India at this time…. I request you to take the leadership, come forward and lead India.”

Taking part in the debate on the Motion of Thanks to the President’s Address in Lok Sabha on Wednesday, Rahul had lashed out at the Narendra Modi government, arguing that its vision for the country is more that of a “king”, who uses a stick to rule, rather than one of “negotiation and conversation”, as has been the country’s tradition and 3,000-year history.

“If you read the Constitution of India, you will find…that India is described as a Union of States. India is not described as a nation; it is described as a Union of States….. That means that my brothers from Tamil Nadu have the same right as my brothers and sisters from Maharashtra…Uttar Pradesh…Bihar…Manipur, Nagaland, Mizoram, Jammu and Kashmir…” the Congress leader had said.

He said those in power are confused, as they think they can suppress the languages, cultures and histories of different states. “You have no idea of history, you have no idea what you are dealing with, because the people of Tamil Nadu have inside their heart the idea of Tamil Nadu, the idea of the Tamil language, and then also the idea of India,” he said.

He said: “There are two visions of this country. One vision…is that it is a Union of States; meaning it is a negotiation, it is a conversation. I go to my brother in Tamil Nadu and say, what do you want and he says, this is what I want and then he asks me, what do you want and I say, this is what I want. It is a partnership. It is not a kingdom. Remember that. You will never ever in your entire life rule over the people of Tamil Nadu, it cannot be done. You will never ever in your life rule over these people,” he had said.