The Tamil Nadu Assembly witnessed chaotic scenes on the first day of the winter session on Thursday with most opposition parties staging a walkout alleging that the Speaker was not allowing to raise important issues.
The parties also demanded that the session be extended to at least for a week, from the three days it has been scheduled for.
Speaking to reporters after walking out of the Assembly, DMK treasurer M.K. Stalin said the party wanted call-attention motions on several critical issues, including the attempt by Karnataka to build new check dams across Cauvery, taken up for discussion immediately.
He said to discuss several pressing issues, the session has to be extended to at least 7 days. "We have accused several times that this government headed by O. Panneerselvam is a benami government. It is not ready to answer the questions of the opposition," he alleged.
Mr. Panneerselvam decided to sit in his usual seat in the Assembly which he used when he was the PWD Minister in former chief minister Jayalalithaa's Cabinet. The seat usually marked for the Chief Minister was left vacant without a name tag.
Earlier, DMK president M. Karunanidhi expressed his disappointment at the fact that proper seating arrangements were not made for him in the Assembly, forcing him to stay away from the proceedings.
Speaking to reporters after signing the Assembly register, Mr. Karunanidhi listed out several issues that he thought had to be taken up for discussion immediately.
DMDK leader and Deputy Leader of Opposition, Mohan Raj, slammed the Ministers for invoking the name of Ms. Jayalalithaa while answering the questions of the Members. "They say the government is being run on the guidance of Ms. Jayalalithaa. Should we have a government run by a person convicted for corruption?" he said.
The MLAs of the CPI (M) raised slogans and showed placards inside the House demanding the extension of the session to at least a week.
All through, Speaker P. Dhanapal asked the Members to maintain order and said he would take up the issues one by one. Leader of the House and Electricity Minister, Natham R. Vishwanathan, asked the opposition to heed to the Speaker's advice.
