- DMK MPs will raise Tamil Nadu's language, education, and financial rights in Parliament
- The party will oppose Hindi and Sanskrit imposition and demand English names for projects
- DMK will push for cleaning Tamil Nadu rivers and support Keezhadi archaeological findings
Setting the tone for the upcoming monsoon session of Parliament, a meeting of DMK MPs presided over by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and party president MK Stalin on Friday adopted a resolution identifying key issues the party would raise in both houses.
DMK MPs will raise concerns over Tamil Nadu's language, educational, and financial rights, and broader issues related to federalism, alleging the BJP-led Centre is systematically eroding them, according to the resolution.
A key issue on the agenda is the denial of Samagra Shiksha funds to Tamil Nadu for not implementing the Centre's three-language policy, even as similar funds were released to the BJP-ruled Maharashtra that withdrew the policy following opposition.
DMK MPs will also oppose the imposition of Hindi and Sanskrit, demand English names for centrally funded projects, and protest the recent rail fare hikes.
The party will strongly push for environmental demands, including the cleaning of major Tamil Nadu rivers - Cauvery, Vaigai, and Thamirabarani - and raise objections to the Centre's non-acceptance of the Keezhadi archaeological report, which the DMK says reinforces the antiquity of the Tamil language and early iron use in the region.
The MPs will demand a 50% devolution of funds to states, as opposed to the current 33.16% released by the Centre, which the DMK alleges violates the 15th Finance Commission's 41% recommendation. The party also plans to question the delays and non-release of MGNREGA funds, and what it calls the Centre's financial discrimination against non-BJP states.
On national matters, the DMK plans to raise the delay in restoring statehood to Jammu and Kashmir and will question the alleged misuse of the Election Commission in the delimitation and voter list restructuring exercise under the Single Electoral Roll (SIR), which the party says deprives crores of voters of their rights.
Tamil Nadu-specific issues like the repeated arrest of Indian fishermen by the Sri Lankan Navy, the retrieval of Katchatheevu island, and a demand to declare Thirukkural as a national book will also be brought up, the resolution said.
The month-long monsoon session of Parliament is set to begin on July 21.
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