CHENNAI: Chief Minister MK Stalin and Speaker M Appavu took jibes at the MLAs of the principal opposition party, AIADMK, and the ruling party at the centre, BJP, who remained silent on Tuesday in the Assembly while all others welcomed the Supreme Court’s verdict censuring Governor RN Ravi for withholding assent to 10 bills sent to him.
Stalin requested the DMK MLAs and members of all other parties that welcomed the verdict, except the AIADMK and the BJP, to convey their thanks to the Supreme Court and the people of Tamil Nadu by thumping their desks.
The House subsequently reverberated with the sound of them thumping the desks.
Though many MLAs of the AIADMK, including deputy leader of opposition RB Udhayakumar and chief whip SP Velumani, and BJP MLA Vanathi Srinivasan were present at that time, they remained silent without making any remarks.
Appavu said it was painful to note that the AIADMK MLAs hesitated to thank the apex court and the CM for ensuring the passage of the 10 pending bills even though one of the bills was for renaming Tamil Nadu Fisheries University after former chief minister J Jayalalithaa.
Referring to the AIADMK MLAs for coming to Assembly in black shirts as a mark of protest, Stalin quipped, “I am happy with the choice of black shirts. It is indeed a relief to notice that they chose black and not saffron.”