The Leader of the Opposition, MK Stalin, and his party MLAs were evicted from the Tamil Nadu assembly and suspended for a week on Wednesday following a ruckus over an ‘unparliamentary remark’ by an AIADMK member over the DMK’s pre-election roadshow.
Speaker P Dhanapal ordered a week-long suspension for all the DMK members after state finance minister and Leader of the House O Panneerselvam moved a resolution against the Opposition.
Marshals physically carried Stalin out of the assembly building where an army of reporters surrounded the entrance to question the opposition leader.
“Today’s action by the speaker and the ruling party members is yet another example of the attitude the AIADMK (towards opposition),” Stalin told the reporters.
“It is a conspiracy to deny the DMK a chance to participate in important discussions. The chief minister and the speaker have conspired to get the DMK MLAs suspended,” Stalin alleged.
Commotion in the assembly started after AIADMK MLA Gunasekharan commented on DMK’s pre-poll ‘Nammakku Naame’ roadshow by saying ‘some people had undertaken a roadshow and went around the state but failed to capture power.’
Nammakku Naame was the name given to Stalin’s state-wide tour before the elections.
Gunasekharan’s comments evoked a sharp response from the opposition members and soon turned into a ruckus. Stalin asked the speaker to expunge Gunasekharan’s remarks, but his request was denied.
Speaker Dhanpal maintained that as the AIAMDK member “had not named anyone in particular the remarks need not be expunged”. Following which DMK members started shouting slogans and advanced towards the well of the house.
Unable to keep the house in order the Speaker ordered a mass eviction of all DMK MLAs and suspended them for a week.