CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu Assembly today witnessed noisy scenes involving arch rivals AIADMK and DMK after an opposition member was evicted during a debate over the issue of arrests of state fishermen by Sri Lankan Navy.
Protesting the Deputy Speaker Pollachi V Jayaraman's order evicting their colleague J Anbazhagan, DMK members staged a walk out.
Trouble broke out when Fisheries Minister D Jayakumar made some remarks attributed to DMK President M Karunanidhi while the House was debating the mid-sea arrests of fishermen and detention of their boats by Sri Lankan Navy.
The DMK members were up on their feet and Jayaraman, who conducted the proceedings in the absence of Speaker P Dhanapal stated to be indisposed, tried to persuade them to resume their seats. Soon Anbazhagan tried to make some point, which infuriated the Treasury benches with Chief Minister K Palaniswami himself taking exception to it. Leader of the House and School Education Minister K A Sengottaiyan asked the Chair to take action against Anbazhagan, saying his conduct was not keeping with the ethos of the House.
Jayaraman ordered the eviction of Anbazhagan following which House Marshals took him out. DMK Deputy Leader Durai Murugan asked the chair to reconsider his order, suggesting Anbazhagan could have been let off with a warning.
Jayaraman said he issued repeated warnings but Anbazhagan did not heed them."He came down from his seat and brought disrepute to the House," he said.
Intervening, Palaniswami said the Deputy Speaker had no option but to order the eviction. "We don't want anyone to be evicted," he said amid thumping of the desks by ruling party members.
With Jayaraman showing no hint of budging, Durai Murugan led a walk-out of his party members. However, the DMK members soon returned to participate in the debate on grants for Health and Family Welfare Department.
DMK allies Congress and IUML also wanted the Deputy Speaker's decision to evict Anbazhagan reconsidered.