Legislators belonging to Opposition parties including the DMK, the Congress and the IUML launched a boycott of the Assembly session on Monday, in protest against the government’s decision to continue the proceedings despite the COVID-19 outbreak.
DMK president M.K. Stalin justified the boycott, saying legislators had to be with the people of their respective constituencies, who were living in constant fear of the pandemic.
Later in the day, it was decided that the session should be concluded by Tuesday instead of March 31.
In a letter to Assembly Speaker P. Dhanapal, Mr. Stalin said the boycott would draw the government’s attention to the need for taking preventive and precautionary measures to tackle COVID-19.
Recalling Health Minister C. Vijayabaskar’s tweet that 9 people had tested positive for COVID-19 in Tamil Nadu so far, Mr. Stalin said 9 persons had tested positive in 12 days, and 8,950 persons had been quarantined.
"This has created doubts about whether we are wasting the golden hour to combat the disease,” he said.
The DMK leader pointed out that the Centre had already cancelled examinations in schools and had directed only 50% of the B and C category employees to report for work.
Pointing out that three districts — Chennai, Kancheepuram and Erode — in Tamil Nadu had been included in the list of districts to be locked down as per the advisory of the Centre, Mr. Stalin said debating in the Assembly would not be in the interest of the people when the entire world had decided that [social] distancing was very important.
