CHENNAI: Members of the opposition AIADMK were forcibly evicted from the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly session on Friday after they created a ruckus over the Kallakurichi hooch tragedy. As of Friday morning, at least 49 people from Kallakurichi's Karunapuram area have died after reportedly drinking 'paper arrack' mixed with methanol on Wednesday.
House Speaker M Appavu later allowed the opposition MLAs to return and participate in the day's proceedings, following an appeal from Chief Minister MK Stalin.
Moments after Appavu read out the Thirukkural and announced the commencement of the question hour, black shirt-clad AIADMK members carrying placards had stormed the well of the House and engaged in sloganeering in connection with the deaths due to consumption of illicit liquor in Kallakurichi. Refusing to yield to the repeated appeals of the Speaker, AIADMK members led by Leader of Opposition (LoP) Edappadi K Palaniswami had squatted on the well of the House and shouted slogans.
Also Read: Kallakurichi hooch tragedy: 6 people who consumed spurious liquor in critical state at JIIPMER, ten others in ICU
Leader of the House, Duraimurugan, had also appealed to the chair to ascertain what the LoP wanted to convey to the House.
But as the adamant AIADMK continued sloganeering, speaker Appavu summoned the Marshalls, who forcibly evicted the AIADMK members from the House.
Speaking after their eviction, Duraimurugan termed the events staged by the LoP and other ADMK members as 'undesirable, sad, and regrettable'. "You (the speaker) took a decision under inevitable circumstances. They (the AIADMK MLAs) have come with the intention of leaving the house. I am surprised and saddened by the way they behaved,” he said.
The Leader of the House pointed out that the LoP had served as a chief minister previously and hence must be familiar with the rules but was still engaging in such actions.
Further, he said, "The LoP has every right to advance his arguments in the House on any matter but it must conform to the rules of the House…I asked the Speaker to ascertain what the Leader of Opposition wanted to convey to the House and probably consider if we could adjourn the question hour." He added that the rules do not permit anyone to level allegations during the question hour, which is very important.
Echoing his views, Speaker Appavu said that many party members, including AIADMK’s Agri S S Krishnamurthy and O Panneerselvam had given notices under Rule 55 of the House to move a special call attention motion (for the Kallakurichi hooch tragedy) and did not have to create a ruckus.
“They were not denied the opportunity to speak on the call attention motion. They do not need to create such a ruckus. Despite being offered an opportunity to speak, they have done this. It is worrisome,” Appavu added.
The Speaker also barred the media from airing the contents of the placards carried by the AIADMK members and sticking to the records, including the statements made by him earlier in the House.
Meanwhile, following the eviction of the AIADMK MLAs, Chief Minister M K Stalin addressed the House and requested the Speaker to allow the members of the principal opposition party to return to the House after the question hour. Recalling last year's twin hooch tragedies, the CM told the House, “In December 2001, a similar incident happened in which over 200 persons were affected. I will provide a detailed reply after all the members speak on the issue. This chief minister believes in the principal opposition party registering its views in the House. I don’t want to comment on your decision (the Speaker's) to evict them. I request the Speaker to allow the members of the Principal Opposition party to return to the House after the question hour."
Obliging the CM, Speaker Appavu relaxed his earlier ruling and allowed the AIADMK members to participate in the special call attention motions and the rest of the day's proceedings.
: Edappadi
After being evicted from the House, Leader of Opposition Edappadi K Palaniswami told waiting media persons that Chief Minister MK Stalin must own up responsibility for the Kallakurichi hooch tragedy and resign. He also said that there was no transparency in the hooch tragedy investigation.
"AIADMK members are staging protests across the state, demanding justice. The chief minister did not even come to the House. He should have turned up and answered the House. The CM doesn’t care about the lives of people," the party's general secretary alleged.