CHENNAI: Speaker M Appavu on Wednesday stoutly defended Chief Minister MK Stalin moving a resolution on Monday to take on record only the approved text of Governor RN Ravi’s speech and ignore his additions and omissions in the speech. The speaker hailed the chief minister profusely for taking such a swift and timely action and said that the dignity of the House was safeguarded by his move and that it set a precedent for all other states to handle such situations in their legislatures.
The speaker also said according to constitutional provisions, the governor had to read out only the approved text of the speech since he was an appointed governor. On Monday, however, the governor omitted many portions of the text and added his own, creating an extraordinary situation.
“Though there were ripples in the House, the chief minister pacified them (the members), and, after getting my permission, moved a resolution to relax Rule 17. Many could ask what was the need for such a hurry in moving a resolution. Had that decision not been taken by the chief minister at that moment, the media and press would have carried the speech of the governor with the omissions and inclusions.
Only because of the timely resolution moved by the chief minister was the dignity of the House safeguarded. This resolution has now become a topic of discussion across the country as it exemplified what the rights of state governments and the governors are and what their do’s and don’ts are,” the speaker said.
Referring to the MLAs of Congress, PMK, VCK, CPM, CPI, MDMK, MMK, KMDK, and TVK raising slogans in front of the governor on Monday, the speaker said: “This should have been avoided and, hereafter, such incidents should not recur in this House. Nonetheless, opposition parties raising certain issues for a few minutes and staging a walkout had been accepted as a democratic convention in the past. Further, the above members only expressed their views ... ”
The speaker also advised the members who speak in the discussion on the vote of thanks to the governor’s address not to express their opinions about the governor and not to speak in contravention of Rule 92 (vii) of the House.
Later, during the discussions, when AIADMK MLA KP Munusamy said the speaker should not have allowed the chief minister to speak after the governor completed his speech, the speaker clarified that Rule 286 gave all rights to him to take any decision depending on the situation.
DMK MLA moves motion conveying ‘agony’ of House
Chennai: DMK MLA N Ramakrishnan on Wednesday moved a motion conveying the agony of the state Assembly caused by the omissions and inclusions made by the governor in his speech on Monday. The motion said that the house recorded its agony over the governor’s act of omitting and including portions in his address, which had been sent to him by the state government, approved by the governor and circulated in the Assembly and that the members of the Assembly were “grateful to the Hon. Governor for the address, recorded in the House on Monday.” ENS