DMK members staged a walkout from the Assembly on Tuesday, protesting against Speaker P. Dhanapal’s decision not to allow Durai Murugan to respond to Chief Minister Jayalalithaa’s observation on their leader M. Karunanidhi.
Participating in the debate on the demands for grants for the Departments of the Welfare of Differently Abled Persons and Social Welfare and Nutritious Meal Programme, Padmanabhapuram MLA Pushpa Leela Alban of the DMK referred to the steps taken by Mr. Karunanidhi, while in power, for the tsunami-affected people.
Refuting her point, Ms. Jayalalithaa told the DMK members that when tsunami struck the State in 2004, Mr. Karunanidhi did not go to his constituency of Chepauk, one of the affected areas, whereas she visited the affected areas several times and provided relief.
When the present Chepauk-Thiruvallikeni MLA, J. Anbazhagan of the DMK, sought to interrupt Ms. Jayalalithaa’s observations, the Speaker warned him sternly. As Mr. Durai Murugan, deputy leader of the DMK, wanted to react, Ms. Jayalalithaa said the DMK members were not unaware of the House rules: as per the rule, only the member listed as the speaker on behalf of a party (in a debate) could respond to the observations of Chief Minister or Minister, and not the other members.
After the Speaker reiterated the rule, the DMK MLAs, led by Mr. Durai Murugan, walked out.
