Will continue to address Centre as 'Union Government': Tamil Nadu CM Stalin

Referring to the Centre as Union Government is not a “social crime” as being portrayed by a few, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin said on Wednesday asserting that his administration will continue to use the term as it signifies principles of federalism.

“There is no need for anyone to fear the word Ondriyam (Union). The word signifies federalist principles. That is the reason we use the term, we will use, and we will continue to use,” Stalin told the Assembly. He was responding to a question raised by BJP MLA ‘Nainar’ Nagendran on the use of the term Union Government.

After assuming office on May 7, Stalin and his cabinet colleagues have been referring to the Centre as Union Government or Ondriya Arasu instead of Madhiya Arasu which was being used before the DMK won the April 6 assembly elections.

The state BJP has taken exception to the usage of the term by asking Stalin to revert to using the old nomenclature. In his speech in the Assembly, Stalin said some people feel that using the term Union Government was a “social crime” and added that his administration was going only by the rule book.

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“The first line of our Constitution says ‘India, that is Bharat, shall be a Union of States’. We are simply following what is written in the Constitution and let me clarify Ondriyam (Union) is not a wrong usage or word,” Stalin said.

The Chief Minister also punched holes in statements that the incumbent DMK government had resorted to using the term which had never been used by party founder C N Annadurai and M Karunanidhi, saying ‘Indian Union’ was used in the party’s election manifesto in 1957 when it entered electoral politics.

He also referred to speeches by Annadurai and late Congress veteran Rajaji on federalism to drive home his point. The new DMK government has almost normalized usage of the word Ondriya Arasu in the past month with official press releases and ministers using the term.