A day after ruling party MLA Thangatamilselvan stormed out of the House following a confrontation with the Speaker, three MLAs of the party’s allies, who were elected on the Two Leaves symbol, staged a walkout from the Legislative Assembly questioning Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami’s ambiguous stand on the Central notification restricting cattle trade.
Like Mr. Thangatamilselvan, the three legislators – actor S. Karunaas (Thiruvadanai), who heads the Mukkulathor Pulipadai; M. Thamimun Ansari (Nagapattinam) of Manithaneya Jananayaga Katchi; and U. Thaniyarasu (Kangeyam) of Tamil Nadu Kongu Ilaignar Peravai – had extended support to AIADMK (Amma) deputy general secretary T.T.V. Dhinakaran recently.
The bizarre scenes of MLAs elected on AIADMK ticket confronting the government comes in the backdrop of frictions within the ruling party where legislators are divided in their loyalties between Mr. Palaniswami and Mr. Dhinakaran.
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When the issue of the cattle trade restriction was taken up for discussion, the DMK, the Congress and the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), which have declared their opposition to the move, reiterated their demand that the AIADMK government pass a resolution against the Centre’s decision on the lines of the resolutions passed by the Assemblies in Kerala, Meghalaya and Puducherry.
Immediately, Mr. Ansari and Mr. Thaniyarasu too rose from their seats and registered their opposition to the BJP decision. Mr. Karunaas was not allowed to speak by Speaker P. Dhanapal on the ground that he did not seek permission earlier to raise the issue in the House.
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Soon after the DMK, the Congress and the IUML staged a walkout dissatisfied with Mr. Palaniswami’s statement that he would go by the court’s verdict on the issue, the three MLAs too staged a walkout.
Talking to reporters outside the House, Mr. Thaniyarasu claimed a majority of people were consuming beef and the cattle trade restriction was against the personal rights of the people. “No one has the right to interfere in the eating habits of people. The restriction is against the Constitution. We wanted the State government to pass a resolution against the BJP government’s decision,” Mr. Thaniyarasu.
Mr. Karunaas contended that many were consuming beef these days, and that it was not in the control of the government to restrict the eating habits of people.
Mr. Ansari referred to the resolutions passed against cattle trade restrictions by Assemblies in Kerala, Meghalaya and Puducherry and observed that the CM’s statement in the House on Tuesday was not to his party’s satisfaction. “If Jayalalithaa were alive, she would have passed a resolution against the BJP government’s order.”