Chennai’s recent political history has seen many protests, fasts and demonstrations. Some of them, like the anti-Hindi agitation (though it was statewide), have either permanently changed the political course of the state or left such an impression on the people that the events – Jayalalithaa’s fast on the Cauvery in July 1993 and M. Karunanidhi’s fast on the Sri Lanka issue during the final phase of the civil war in April 2009 – are still remembered and cherished.

On a Sunday in July 1993, the then Chief Minister Jayalalithaa surprised the entire state by announcing that she would fast over the Cauvery issue, over which Tamil Nadu and Karnataka have been at loggerheads for more than 100 years. Jayalalithaa fasted during the initial years of the Cauvery dispute, following the interim order of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal (CWDT) in June 1991. The Tribunal had ordered Karnataka to ensure that the Mettur Dam in Tamil Nadu releases 205 billion cubic feet (tmc ft) of water annually (June-May).

In the first half of 2015-16, Tamil Nadu was supposed to receive 31.54 cubic feet of water, but in reality it received only 12.22 cubic feet. In these circumstances, Jayalalithaa began what she described as an “indefinite hunger strike”.

A common misconception

Although the general purpose of the fast was to secure the state’s water share for the year, there was a more important reason – the demand for creation of an implementation mechanism for provisional allocation. Sections of the city residents, not fully informed about their protest and the fact that Chennai was then in the midst of an acute water shortage, genuinely felt that Jayalalithaa’s fast was aimed at solving Chennai’s water problem.

Jayalalithaa’s fasting venue was between the mausoleums of Annadurai and her political mentor and AIADMK founder MG Ramachandran at the Marina. Dressed in a green sari and seated on a sofa on a raised platform, the chief minister read 100 great modern lives. She received a stream of high-level visitors, including the then Governor M. Channa Reddy. Dolls of Karnataka Chief Minister M. Veerappa Moily and Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao were burnt in various parts of the state, including near the Ezhilagam complex, Chepauk and Virugambakkam. When Jayalalalithaa heard that 50 volunteers had attempted to immolate themselves in view of her fast, she appealed to her party cadres to exercise restraint.

On the fourth day (July 21), Union Minister for Water Resources VC Shukla, the jack of all trades who had travelled to Bengaluru the previous evening and held talks with the Karnataka Chief Minister, held two meetings with Jayalalithaa. It was left to Jayalalithaa’s immediate deputy in the Cabinet, VR Nedunchezhian, who was also her Finance Minister, to announce the Central government’s readiness to form two committees – one for implementation of the award and another to monitor data towards implementation. Wild cheers and the bursting of firecrackers greeted his announcement as Jayalalithaa called off her hunger strike. But drama aside, there was little progress. Tamil Nadu had to wait another five years for an implementation mechanism. By this time, the AIADMK’s traditional opponent, the DMK, had come to power.

Protest of 2009

Sixteen years later, the Marina Square was once again the site where the then Prime Minister Karunanidhi observed a fast, which he had also initially declared to be indefinite. This time it was April and the date was the 27th, a Monday.

Karunanidhi during his protest against the civil war in Sri Lanka in April 2009. | Photo credit: The Hindu Archives

The Sri Lankan civil war, also known as the Eelam War, was in its final stages. The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) under V. Prabhakaran had suffered a series of military defeats, including the fall of Kilinochchi, the headquarters of the LTTE-controlled territory, and the strategically important Elephant Pass in the north in January of that year. The rebel group was confined to a small area near Mullaitivu, which it had captured from the Sri Lankan authorities 13 years earlier. The Sri Lankan authorities had accused the LTTE of using civilians as “human shields”.

On April 24, Indian Foreign Minister Shivshankar Menon and National Security Advisor MK Narayanan met with Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa in Colombo. Two days later, the LTTE announced a ceasefire, but Colombo rejected it, calling it a joke. There was no information from New Delhi about what was going on.

Besides, the Lok Sabha elections were underway in India and two phases of voting had already been completed and three more were pending. Tamil Nadu was represented in the last and fifth phase (May 13). On April 25, AIADMK general secretary Jayalalithaa, Karunanidhi’s main rival, stated that if the next government was formed at the central level with the help of the AIADMK and that government listened to the party’s word, steps would be taken to create a separate Tamil Eelam.

A surprising announcement

Karunanidhi, 85, had undergone a surgery for his back problem just a few months ago. On April 27, at 5.55 am, he asked his driver to take him to the party headquarters in Anna Arivalayam. Just as the convoy reached Cathedral Road, he asked him to go to the Annadurai memorial. At around 6.05 am, he began his hunger strike and suddenly told his supporters and others, “On behalf of the people of Tamil Nadu, I am taking this hunger strike to protect the Tamils ​​of Sri Lanka.”

Soon after, a number of his sympathisers, religious leaders, civil servants, political leaders and Tamil film stars approached him and urged him to give up the fast. The then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his Home Minister P. Chidambaram were among those who urged him to give up the fast. As news of the fast spread, several functionaries of the DMK and its allies suspended their election campaign and rushed to the site of the fast. The ruling DMK sent telegrams to a number of dignitaries, including Mr. Rajapaksa, calling for a “permanent ceasefire”.

At around noon, Colombo announced the end of hostilities using large-caliber weapons, fighter aircraft and air power that could cause civilian casualties. At around 12.20 pm, Mr. Chidambaram informed Karunanidhi of Colombo’s decision to cease hostilities. Satisfied with his discussion with the Union Minister, the DMK leader ended his hunger strike.