Should Members of Parliament Resign?

by Thanjai Nalankilli

All-Party Meet Resolution

(November 11, Chennai, Sri Lanka Guardian) The All-Party Meet on Sri Lanka held in Chennai on October 14, 2008 under the chairmanship of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Muthuvel Karunanidhi passed a resolution that Members of Parliament (MP) from Tamil Nadu would resign if the Indian Government does not come forward to ensure a ceasefire in Sri Lanka within two weeks. At this junction we take it at face value, but with some reservation, that this is a genuine show of concern on the part of all political leaders of Tamil Nadu and the resolution means what it says and our leaders would not fall for any trickeries and mere assurances from the Indian Government. With that caveat, we applaud this critical and historical resolution and we thank all those responsible for it across party lines. [Chief Minister Karunanidhi is the leader of DMK. Not only DMK members of parliament but all MPs from Tamil Nadu including those from Congress, PMK and MDMK agreed to resign.]

Here are a few constructive suggestions. These are not meant as criticism and not aimed at anyone.

We urge that our Members of Parliament (MP) do not resign instead withdraw support to the ruling coalition. This gives more leverage to our MPs than resignation. We know that with the resignation of all 40 MPs from Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, Congress led coalition government would lose the parliamentary majority. However other political party members from other states could be convinced to support Congress or support could even be purchased. If our MPs do not resign they could vote against the government and thus we have more leverage on the issue. Members of Parliament from Tamil Nadu and Puducherry are valuable assets in this context and we should not throw it away. So we urge our political leaders that our Members of Parliament should not resign but inform the Speaker of the House and the President of India of their decision to withdraw support to the Congress-led government.

We do know that Congress MPs from Tamil Nadu may have procedural or legal issues in voting against their own party. If that is the case, Congress MPs from Tamil Nadu should either vote against the government or resign, as appropriate. Under no circumstance should they vote for the government and help its survival if a ceasefire does not come into effect by October 28, 2008.

Congress leaders from Tamil Nadu should resign from the Congress Party and form their own party, in the same way Tamil Maanila Congress was formed in the 1990s to protest Congress high-command's decision to ally with All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK).
All political parties in Tamil Nadu should give the people of Tamilnadu an undertaking that they would not ally with the Congress Party in the next parliamentary and assembly elections. It makes no sense to support a party that continues to help the killings of Tamil civilian in Sri Lanka.

Are the Promised Resignations Genuine or Mere Drama?

Willingness of Congress Party MPs to resign and thus bring about the fall of the Congress government in New Delhi is surprising and suspicious. Congress leaders in Tamilnadu and Puducherry do not make any decision, even the selection of their own state level leaders, without the consent of party high-command in New Delhi. Is it a mere drama with the consent of leaders in New Delhi? Is it merely to douse the growing public protest in Tamil Nadu, similar to what happened in 1965?

In this context we remember what Chief Minister Karunanidhi (DMK) did in 2007. In September 2007, Tamil National Movement (Thamizh Desiya Iyakkam) leader Nedumaran went on a fast to death protesting Indian government's refusal to give permission to send food and medicine to Sri Lankan Tamils. If the seventy-four year old Nedumaran were to die fasting, there would be enormous sympathy towards the cause he professed and there could be massive public protests. So Chief Minister Karunanidhi asked Nedumaran to stop the fast and assured him that he would take necessary steps to send the food and medicine to Sri Lanka. Nedumaran ended his fast and we all breathed a sigh of relief. More than a year passed and Karunanidhi did not fulfill his assurance. All letters from Nedumaran to him went unanswered. Requests to meet the chief minister were denied. Is a similar thing going to happen here also? Let us hope that is not the case.

A Resignation Drama in 1965

There was another resignation scenario in the recent political history of Tamil Nadu. Year 1965. There were massive protests in Tamilnadu against Hindi imposition. The agitation was spearheaded by Tamil Nadu students. Protests were so large, army and police from other states were brought in to put down the protests. There were many shootings and well over hundred Tamil youth were shot dead. Yet there was no sign of protests abating. At this juncture two Indian government ministers (Congress Party) from Tamil Nadu, namely, C. Subramaniam and O. V. Alagesan, resigned as ministers, and Subraniam promised that he would work with other leaders to ensure that necessary legislation would be passed to assure continued use of English and no imposition of Hindi. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Baktavatsalam (Congress Party) also assured that the Indian government would bring forth necessary legislation and that there would be no Hindi imposition. Agitation was called off. Subramaniam and Alagesan withdrew their resignations. Many months later a lukewarm legislation was passed but Hindi imposition continued and continues even today.

Concluding Remarks

Many people believe that the1965 resignations of Subramaniam and Alagesan were mere dramas staged to douse the protests in Tamil Nadu. Police and army bullets could not end the anti-Hindi agitation but the resignations did that successfully. We hope that this time our political leaders are sincere and do not fall for fake assurances that do not produce anything concrete. All Party Meet resolution is that Indian government would come forward to ensure a ceasefire in Sri Lanka within two weeks. Indian government talking to Sri Lankans or writing to Sri Lankans or issuing statements or making other gestures is not enough. There MUST BE a ceasefire in place within two weeks (October 28, 2008) or Tamilnadu and Puducherry MPs should resign. There should be no procrastination, postponement or vacillation on the part of our political leaders; they MUST resign. If they do not, other political parties and leaders should continue with the protests. - Sri Lanka Guardian