CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu Assembly Speaker P Dhanapal ordered marshals to oust 80 DMK MLAs present in the House, also suspending them later. Leader of the House and Finance Minister O Pannerselvam moved a resolution suspending all DMK MLAs present in the house for a week, which was adopted by the Speaker.
The immediate trigger for the speaker's action was a remark by Tirupur AIADMK MLA Gunasekaran aimed at Leader of Opposition MK Stalin on his 'Namakku Naame' tour of the state ahead of the May assembly election. Both Stalin, and deputy floor leader Durai Murugan was not in the House when the MLA made his jibes at the former. While the Speaker tried to justify the remarks, Stalin reached the house and other DMK MLAs demanded they be expunged. Pannerselvam said the DMK members need not have raised the issue of the AIADMK's general council meeting saying, "It does not concern you".
Arguments between the party MLAs and the Speaker continued for quite some time and things were cooling down eventually when a DMK member raised an ugly noise irritating Dhanapal. Accusing the DMK members of refusing to cooperate, the Speaker said, "I have been warning you repeatedly and seeking your cooperation to run the House. But, I have to say, with regret, that you are refusing to do so. So, I am ordering the marshals to evict you."
Stalin was bodily lifted and dropped in the lobby. He later addressed the media and accused the Speaker and Pannerselvam of "conspiring" to ensure that DMK MLAs were not present when the demands for home department is moved on August 22.
