Lok Sabha Debates Further Discussion On The Motion Of Thanks On The President''S Address Moved By ... on 25 June, 2019 Seventeenth Loksabha > Title: Further discussion on the motion of thanks on the President's Address moved by Shri Pratap Chandra Sarangi and seconded by Dr. Heena Gavit on 24th June 2019. माननीय अध्यक्ष: राष्ट्रपति जी के अभिभाषण पर चर्चा । श्री दयानिधि मारन जी । SHRI DAYANIDHI MARAN (CHENNAI CENTRAL): Hon. Speaker, Sir, I would like to thank you for giving me this opportunity to participate in this debate on the Motion of Thanks on the President’s Address. Sir, at the outset, I would really like to congratulate the BJP for its tremendous victory. It is a very good win. They have repeated their victory after 2014. …(Interruptions) माननीय अध्यक्ष : माननीय सदस्य, सब अपनीअपनी सीट पर बैठिए । प्लीज बैठिए । … (Interruptions) HON. SPEAKER: The House is not in order. Please sit down. … (Interruptions) SHRI DAYANIDHI MARAN : In 2014, the BJP came to power. Unfortunately, in Tamil Nadu, the DMK was not able to win any seat. The ruling AIADMK won 37 seats. Sir, I just want to register this moment because the President gave importance to the people coming and voting. An atrocity took place in 2014. The Election Commission of Tamil Nadu imposed Section 144 – Unlawful Assembly. There was a corrupt practice in 2014 and money was distributed to all the voters and that was the reason that DMK could not come to power and represent anyone in the Parliament in 2014. Today, the people of Tamil Nadu have said no to money. They voted rightly under the able leadership of Shri M. K. Stalin, who formed a formidable alliance with a win of 38 out of 39 seats in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry. If only the rest of India had followed the footsteps of our leader Shri M.K. Stalin, things would have been different in this House. Anyway, our late leader Shri Annadurai always says people’s decision is the God’s decision and we respect it. To start my speech, I thought it would be best to quote my leader with a little pun when he started his speech as his maiden speech in the Rajya Sabha in 1962. At that time, the Congress had come to power for the third consecutive time with a majority and our leader Mr. Annadurai made a speech. He had said there was a lot of jubilation. I also find a lot of jubilation in the speeches of the Ruling Party after winning the general election in 2019. Any party has got the right to be jubilant. With your permission, I would like to point out to the ruling party that it is not very astounding for a party supported by money power, the Government agencies like the CBI and IT Department; and of course, the Election Commission was also supporting them. The strength of the BJP does not lie in itself, but in the weakness of the opposition and that is what my leader said during 1962. When the oath taking ceremony was taking place, we have seen some of the Ruling Party Members shouting slogans in a jubilant mood. Sir, I want to again quote here our great leader, our Anna who in his maiden speech said : “Instead of being jubilant over the victory, the Ruling Party should be humble, magnanimous, liberal and democratic.” The reason I am saying this is that in the President’s Address, the President did insist on water management and in fact, said in the para 19 and also in para 20 that Ministry of Jal Shakti has been formed. Sir, the President has addressed the water crisis which is looming large in India, especially in South India and Tamil Nadu. We are in utter water distress. I am sure the Government is aware that the NITI Aayog report on water crisis had mentioned that 40 per cent of India’s population will not have access to clean drinking water by 2013. This is not my report; this is NITI Aayog’s report. I am just giving the highlights of the NITI Aayog report. The NITI Aayog report also says that India stands at 120th position out of 122 when it comes to water quality index. We are so bad. NITI Aayog also warns that 21 Indian cities including cities of Chennai, Bengaluru and Delhi will run out of groundwater by 2020. Sir, 43.4 per cent of India is reeling under severe drought and early global warming system. The premonsoon rain is the lowest in the last 65 years. Four reservoirs supplying water to Chennai have dropped below one per cent and are literally zero. In fact, I would like to say that there is going to be a severe wate