Chennai: In a dramatic turn of events, members of the opposition AIADMK were forcibly evicted from the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly session on Friday after causing a commotion over the recent Kallakurichi hooch tragedy.
As of Friday morning, the death toll from the incident in Karunapuram, Kallakurichi, has risen to 49, following the consumption of illicit methanol-laced arrack.
The uproar began shortly after House Speaker M Appavu read the Thirukkural and announced the start of the question hour. AIADMK members, clad in black shirts and carrying placards, stormed the well of the House, chanting slogans in connection with the hooch tragedy. Despite repeated appeals from the Speaker and other members, including Leader of the House Duraimurugan, the AIADMK members, led by Leader of Opposition (LoP) Edappadi K Palaniswami, refused to relent.
As the sloganeering continued unabated, Speaker Appavu summoned the Marshalls, who forcibly removed the protesting AIADMK members from the House. This marked a significant disruption in the legislative proceedings.
Following the eviction, Chief Minister MK Stalin addressed the assembly, expressing his desire for the principal opposition party to voice their views in the House. He recalled a similar incident in December 2001 where over 200 individuals were affected by spurious liquor. CM Stalin emphasized his belief in democratic principles and requested the Speaker to allow the AIADMK members to return after the question hour.
“I will provide a detailed reply after all the members speak on the issue. This chief minister believes in the principal opposition party registering its views in the House. I don’t want to comment on your decision (the Speaker’s) to evict them. I request the Speaker to allow the members of the Principal Opposition party to return to the House after the question hour,” CM Stalin stated.
Responding to the Chief Minister’s request, Speaker Appavu relaxed his earlier ruling and permitted the AIADMK members to rejoin the special call attention motions and the remainder of the day’s proceedings.