CHENNAI: DMK MLA from Palani IP Senthil Kumar on Friday set a record of sorts in the Assembly. He was able to complete his 35-minute maiden speech without any intervention from any of the Ministers.
Speaker P Dhanapal used to tell the members that they should learn how to speak without warranting any intervention from the Ministers since they are duty- bound to respond to any charge levelled.
On Friday, a few members said Senthil Kumar had ‘mastered’ that art.
The DMK members used to complain that the Ministers had been giving clarifications without any charge being levelled. But on Friday, not even one Minister interfered in the speech of Senthil Kumar, son of former Revenue Minister I Periyasamy. Only after he completed his speech, nine Ministers, one by one, clarified the points raised by him. Two Ministers, SP Velumani and Dindigul C Sreenivasan, were envious of Senthil Kumar, saying that this opportunity was not given even to the ruling party members. Sreenivasan assured Senthil Kumar that all issues raised by him would be taken up for execution. Within a minute, he corrected himself saying all the issues raised by him would be examined and taken up for execution depending upon the financial position.
The DMK member went on with his well-prepared maiden speech on a humble note and made request after request to the State government. When he made a couple of charges too, he made them without hurting the government.