Tamil Nadu: Remarks on late CM J Jayalalithaa triggers chaos, DMK stages walkout

The principal Opposition party DMK staged a walkout in the Tamil Nadu Assembly on Tuesday, the second day of the current session, after the party’s remarks on the late Chief Minister and AIADMK leader
Tamil Nadu: Remarks on late CM J Jayalalithaa triggers chaos, DMK stages walkout

CHENNAI: The principal Opposition party DMK staged a walkout in the Tamil Nadu Assembly on Tuesday, the second day of the current session, after the party’s remarks on the late Chief Minister and AIADMK leader J Jayalalithaa triggered heated exchanges between the Opposition and Treasury sides.

As soon as DMK MLA J Anbazhagan, representing T Nagar, began to question the government’s move to convert Jayalalithaa’s Poes Garden residence into a memorial by making the objectionable remarks, Speaker P Dhanapal promptly expunged them.

The AIADMK members took to their feet and shouted against the DMK legislator for making such remarks. As the DMK MLAs countered them, there was chaos in the House. Justifying the remarks, they questioned the decision of the Speaker in removing the remarks from the records.

However, Dhanapal maintained that he could not allow such remarks to go on record. “I cannot allow you to register such remarks against the late Chief Minister. It is not proper to talk about a late leader in such a manner,” he said.

The Speaker disallowed Leader of Opposition M K Stalin, who was engaged in a heated exchange, to speak on the matter.  When their plea was not heeded to, the DMK members trooped out of the House.
Not allowed to respond: TTV

Independent MLA T T V Dhinakaran also staged a walkout, his first, in the Assembly over denial of permission to make an explanation on the issue of disqualification of 18 MLAs and on the comments made by Electricity Minister P Thangamani.

Two AIADMK MLAs — E Rathinasabapathy and V T Kalaiselvan — too walked out of the House supporting Dhinakaran, but they returned quickly.

Talking to reporters outside the Assembly, Dhinakaran rued that he was not allowed to respond to the comments made by Thangamani.

“When the issue of disqualification of 18 MLAs was talked about, I wanted to make an explanation on it, but the Speaker did not allow. So, DMK member J Anbazhagan stressed that I be given a chance. Thangamani then attributed a motive to this. I was not allowed to respond to it,” he said.

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