AIADMK MLA's maiden speech triggers uproar

By Our Special Correspondent

CHENNAI, AUG. 29. Amid noisy scenes in the Assembly today, the Opposition DMK and the PMK staged a walk-out, over different issues, after heated arguments with the Speaker, Mr. K. Kalimuthu.

While the DMK members objected to the AIADMK MLA, Mr. P.K. Sekar Babu's ``unwarranted observations'', the PMK members, for the second successive day, trooped out, protesting expunction of a remark by their leader, Mr. G.K. Mani.

It all started when Mr. Sekar Babu, in his maiden speech during the debate on demand for grants to the Health department, referred to alleged victimisation of their leader, Ms. Jayalalithaa by the previous Government.

This was objected to by the DMK MLAs, who said the member was `unnecessarily' referring to an issue totally unrelated to the Health department. They wanted the Speaker to advise the member to confine his speech to issues relating to the department.

But the Speaker defended the AIADMK MLA stating that this being his maiden speech, the member should be allowed to make such references as it was an occasion for him to thank his leader for his electoral victory. He assured the DMK MLAs that he would give them an opportunity to express their views.

When Mr. Sekar Babu once again touched on the arrest of the brother of a former DMK Minister and Ms. Jayalalithaa's electoral promise that she would keep Mr. Karunanidhi in jail for the rest of his life, the DMK members, led by Mr. Duraimurugan, walked out.

After the exit of the DMK and MGR-ADMK members, the Speaker said the people would conclude that the DMK had become so weak that it could not bear the remarks of an AIADMK cadre. Just as the din subsided, it was the turn of the PMK to kick up a fresh row. Concurring with Mr. Sekar Babu's view that Ms. Jayalalithaa had been put to immense hardship during her 28-day stay in the jail during the DMK regime, the PMK leader stirred up a hornets' nest, asking why the AIADMK men had not launched a single protest.

He claimed that Ms. Jayalalithaa herself had expressed her sense of anguish to the PMK leader, Dr. S. Ramadoss, at her partymen's passivity.

Instantly rising in protest, the AIADMK members wanted him to withdraw his remark. For his part, the Speaker said their leader was not left as an orphan by the partymen after her arrest but thousands of partymen, including himself, courted arrest. ``She is not an orphan. The entire Tamil Nadu is behind her,'' he said.

When Mr. Kalimuthu expunged Mr. Mani's remarks, the PMK leader said the same phrase used by the Social Welfare Minister, Mrs. B. Valarmathi, yesterday, with reference to Dr. Ramadoss had not been expunged. Hence, his remarks should also be retained, he insisted.

When the Speaker refused to oblige him, he walked out along with his party MLAs. However, they returned after half an hour.

Later, the Speaker told the media that the DMK and the PMK had staged a walk-out for political reasons, and not because of any genuine complaint against him.

He also described as ``totally baseless'' the DMK charge that he was unable to function independently in the face of ruling party pressure.

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Section  : Southern States
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