Bedlam in TN House, ADMK MLAs evicted

The Tamil Nadu Assembly today witnessed chaotic scenes with the opposition AIADMK and Congress members turning the House into a battleground...

The Tamil Nadu Assembly today witnessed chaotic scenes with the opposition AIADMK and Congress members turning the House into a battleground, throwing microphones at each other, shouting slogans and hurling abuses. This resulted in the Speaker ordering eviction of all AIADMK legislators.

Leaders of the legislature parties will meet tomorrow and decide whether the 59 MLAs should be suspended for the rest of the session.

Trouble began when Congress whip Peter S Alphonse, while speaking on a motion of thanks to the Governor for his address to the Assembly, said the previous AIADMK government had lost 8216;8216;a golden opportunity8217;8217; by not 8216;8216;capitalising8217;8217; on the fact that there were 13 ministers from Tamil Nadu in the UPA government at the Centre and not utilising them for the state8217;s benefit. The MLA said the Jayalalithaa government had failed to forward a proposal for a desalination plant for Chennai to the Centre for availing the Rs 1,000 crore allocated for the project in last year8217;s Budget.

Irked by the remark, AIADMK members were on their feet, loudly protesting and shouting slogans against Alphonse and other Congress members, prompting the MLA to declare that the AIADMK had unleashed 8216;8216;legislature terrorism8217;8217;.

In the confusion following heated exchange of words, an AIADMK member was seen plucking out a mike and hurling it at a Congress MLA. This provoked some Congress members to throw mikes at AIADMK members.

AIADMK MLA Sekar Babu was seen threateningly moving towards Chief Minister M Karunanidhi, but he was prevented from getting close by some DMK ministers and the watch and ward staff. Speaker R Avudaiappan soon brought the situation under control, ordering eviction of AIADMK members.

In fact, the entire morning saw the AIADMK members jumping to their feet in protest whenever DMK and Congress MLAs criticised Jayalalithaa, demanding that the Speaker expunge the remarks pertaining to their leader.

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Karunanidhi accused the AIADMK of 8216;8216;destabilising8217;8217; his government and expressed hope that such 8216;8216;unfortunate incidents8217;8217; did not recur in the House.

The AIADMK was living in a 8216;8216;dream world8217;8217; if it thought it could instigate his allies to throw the DMK out of power, he said, urging the Speaker to pardon the MLAs if they expressed regret for their behaviour.