Members of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and the Communist Party of India staged a walkout in the Assembly on Thursday, protesting against the Centre's inability to control price rise.
CPI (M) floor leader K. Balabarathy and CPI floor leader V. Sivapunniyam highlighted the effects of price rise on the common man and criticised the Centre for not taking concrete action to reverse the situation.
As the members began walking out, Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi wondered why they were walking out of the Assembly when their grouse was against the Centre.
Mr. Sivapunniyam replied that the DMK too was part of the ruling UPA combine at the Centre.
When T. Velmurugan (PMK) took exception to the repeated checking of vehicles of “ayya” (PMK founder S. Ramadoss) and “chinnayya” (former Union Minister Anbumani Ramadoss) during their election tour of Pennagaram, Mr. Karunanidhi said the police followed the orders of the Election Commission. Even the vehicles of the “peria ayya” of his party (himself) and that of the “chinnayya” (Deputy Chief Minister M.K. Stalin) were checked.
Food Minister E.V. Velu, who was in-charge of the by-poll, said his vehicle was checked four times in one evening. His was the first vehicle to be checked after the Election Commission introduced the measure.
Mr. Velmurugan referred to many cases registered against PMK men and violence unleashed against them in the run-up to the by-election.
Countering this, Agriculture Minister Veerapandi S. Arumugham said that it was on the orders of Dr. Anbumani Ramadoss that the PMK men indulged in violence during the by-election.
“They also got it back,” he said as the PMK men were on their feet demanding expunction of the portion referring to Dr. Anbumani. G.K. Mani, PMK floor leader, and Mr. Velmurugan claimed that Dr. Anbumani had made no such speech. Mr. Arumugham later expressed regret if he had hurt anyone by his statement.
