When MGR proved Manmohan wrong on a visionary scheme 

In 1985, the then Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission refused to allocate funds for the scheme. MGR walked out of a meeting when Dr. Singh asked him how the scheme could be funded. But the Prime Minister stepped in and resolved the issue

Former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.G. Ramachandran (MGR), a top cinema hero-turned mass leader, remains a darling of the masses 35 years after his passing on December 24, 1987. As counsel for MGR, his party, AIADMK, and party functionaries, I have watched him at close quarters.

MGR will be remembered in history for his signature project of Nutritious Noon-Meal Scheme for school children aged above 2. Under the scheme, introduced in 1982, poor school children were provided healthy food, tooth powder, uniform and footwear. I knew that many poor families sent their children to school because of this scheme which drove up enrolment.

In 1985, three years since the scheme was started, [former Prime Minister] Manmohan Singh, who was then the Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission, which played a role in the allocation of funds and resources to the States, refused to allocate resources for the scheme, which was seen as a waste of resources. MGR went to Delhi to meet Dr. Singh.

When Dr. Singh asked MGR and the officials who accompanied him how the scheme could be funded, MGR stood up without speaking a word and walked out. The officers followed him. However, within minutes after the then Prime Minister intervened, the file was cleared and the issue was amicably resolved.

Interestingly, in 2013, the Union government, headed by the very same Dr. Singh, accepted MGR’s policy and a nationwide mid-day meal programme was announced for school children. And it was enshrined in the National Food Security Act by his UPA government.

During May-June 1980, when MGR was the Chief Minister, the storage in the Mettur dam was very low. Karnataka refused to release water to Tamil Nadu. One fine morning, MGR paid a surprise visit to Karnataka and landed straight at the house of Chief Minister Ramakrishna Hegde, who was caught unawares and invited him to breakfast. After entering the drawing room, MGR suddenly had a fit of hiccups, whereupon his host offered him a glass of water. All that MGR said was, “Maybe, my hiccups are representative of the condition of Tamil Nadu today. Will you offer it water, too?” The two laughed and the very next day, Karnataka released water.

However, a barter deal was arrived at between the two States. Under it, Tamil Nadu supplied electricity in return for the water released by Karnataka. Later, when R. Gundu Rao was the Chief Minister of Karnataka, there was again a shortfall in the supply of Cauvery water.