Chennai, September 8 (Daily Kiran) : The Tamil Nadu Assembly witnessed significant turmoil on Tuesday as DMK President M.K. Stalin accused the state government of undermining the dignity of the assembly. His remarks came after a heated debate led to the expulsion of DMK lawmakers following comments made by Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay.
Speaking to reporters at the DMK headquarters, Stalin expressed concern over the manner in which proceedings were conducted, suggesting it raised questions about legislative propriety. Following their expulsion, DMK lawmakers gathered at the party headquarters to discuss the incident.
The conflict began on Monday when DMK members objected to certain remarks made by Vijay in the assembly. As disruptions continued, Speaker J.C.D. Prabhakar ordered the marshals to remove opposition members from the house. Senior DMK leader and former minister E.V. Velu accused the Chief Minister of violating Rule 92 of the assembly, which prohibits discussions on cases pending in courts.
Velu pointed out that Vijay referenced an ongoing case involving the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and read from an affidavit while the matter was still under judicial consideration. He also alleged that the Chief Minister mocked the imprisonment of DMK leaders under the Maintenance of Internal Security Act (MISA) during the Emergency period, claiming that Vijay’s gestures were disrespectful to the sacrifices made by senior party leaders.
The DMK also raised objections regarding allegations linked to the Sarkaria Commission and criticized the late Union Minister Murasoli Maran. Velu noted that all 28 allegations investigated by the commission were dismissed due to lack of evidence. He reminded that former AIADMK founder M.G. Ramachandran had informed the panel that he only pursued a complaint from a lawyer.
During the session, DMK members raised three issues during the Zero Hour and demanded the removal of Vijay’s comments from the records. However, their demands were rejected by the Speaker, leading to protests. Subsequently, police and marshals forcibly removed the lawmakers from the assembly.
Velu accused the government of prioritizing publicity and social media over administration. He also challenged the ruling party’s claim that it was unprecedented for a woman MLA to sit in the Speaker’s chair, citing examples of former members A.S. Ponnammal and D. Yesodha who had presided over assembly proceedings.
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