CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu school education minister A Rajmohan on Saturday hit out at DMK and AIADMK for boycotting the MPs’ meeting on delimitation convened by chief minister C Joseph Vijay. He alleged that DMK stayed away from the meeting to “please its new friend,” in an apparent reference to BJP.Rajmohan rejected the opposition charge that the meeting was an attempt to “divert attention from the Cauvery water dispute and Mekedatu row,” saying it was aimed at safeguarding Tamil Nadu’s interests and state autonomy.Taking a dig at DMK parliamentary party leader Kanimozhi Karunanidhi’s absence, Rajmohan asked why the party had skipped the meeting after its MPs had earlier opposed the delimitation draft by burning copies of it. “Why did Kanimozhi not attend the all-party meeting? DMK members burnt copies of the draft earlier. Why are they backing out now?” he asked.Rajmohan said the boycott had raised questions over the DMK’s stand on delimitation. “Is the DMK boycotting the meeting because of its new friends?” he asked, in an apparent reference to the DMK’s perceived proximity to the BJP.Earlier, the AIADMK IT wing had questioned the urgency behind Vijay convening the meeting on delimitation when no fresh Bill had been introduced in Parliament nor any official announcement had been made on the issue. It described the move a “hurriedly staged drama” and accused the govt of using the issue to divert attention from the Cauvery-Mekedatu row.AIADMK questioned why Vijay had not convened an all-party meeting on the Cauvery-Mekedatu issue despite opposition parties demanding one. “The Mettur dam has still not been opened. There is no water in the delta districts. Instead of answering the farmers’ concerns, this govt is indulging in diversionary politics. AIADMK will never lend itself to such political theatrics,” the post said.The AIADMK IT wing posted a statement Vijay issued last year which stated that delimitation was not all people’s issue.
