DMK, the main opposition in the Tamil Nadu Assembly, stalled the proceedings of the House for over 45 minutes on Wednesday, demanding a discussion on allegations of the ruling faction of the AIADMK bribing its MLAs to retain their support.
Immediately after the question hour on the first day of the session today, MK Stalin, Leader of Opposition and DMK working president, was on his feet, requesting Speaker P Dhanapal to allow the House take up the issue.
The strife-ridden AIADMK has been finding itself at the centre of a controversy over the past two days following a sting operation by a private television channel.
The channel had captured videos of SS Saravanan, an AIADMK MLA, speaking of the ruling faction of the AIADMK bribing MLAs to retain their support. However, Saravanan, now a member of the splinter faction led by former Chief Minister O Panneerselvam, categorically denied that he had made such a statement. He maintained that it was not his voice on the video which had been filmed on some other occasion and doctored. The DMK has taken the issue to court, demanding a CBI probe.
In the Assembly today, DMK members shouted slogans, waved handwritten pamphlets stating “MLAs for sale” and demanded that the House discuss the issue.
But the Speaker pointed out that the issue is sub judice and cannot be discussed. He pointed out that this was a precedence set when the DMK was in power earlier. However, the DMK members insisted they be heard.
The Assembly proceedings continued after the Speaker ordered the eviction of DMK MLAs. The DMK’s allies, the Congress and the IUML, also staged a walkout.
PTI reports that after being removed from the House, Stalin and fellow MLAs resorted to a road blockade outside the Secretariat, leading to their brief detention by the police.