Four legislators belonging to the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) on Tuesday staged a sit-in in the Assembly, to protest against the government’s failure to disburse free rice and Pongal gifts.
The legislators sat on the Assembly portico with their supporters holding placards criticising the government and Lt Governor Kiran Bedi.
Party leader A. Anbalagan said people had become agitated over the delay in providing free rice and they were also concerned about non-distribution of Pongal gifts. The public ire was directed at the legislators, he added.
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Lt. Governor’s stand
Mr. Anbalagan said as legislators they were aware that free rice was not distributed owing to the stand taken by the Lt Governor but the public was blaming the government.
When Chief Minister V. Narayanasamy and Social Welfare Minister M. Kandasamy visited the protesting MLAs, Mr Anbalagan said if Congress legislators took a positive stand, he along with his party MLAs would stage a protest in front of Raj Nivas.
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Mr Narayanasamy said his government had already made its stand clear on free rice and Pongal gifts.
“We are equally concerned and we are hopeful of resolving the issues very soon,” he said.
Though he requested the legislators to withdraw their protest, the AIADMK members continued their dharna.
Congress legislators N. Danavelou and T. Djeamourthy, who later visited the protesting MLAs, agreed to join the AIADMK if they decided to stage a protest in front of Raj Nivas.
They withdrew the protest after Speaker V. Vaithilingam assured to covey the concerns raised by the MLAs to the government.