Chennai, Sept 8:
Tamil Nadu Assembly Speaker J.C.D. Prabhakar on Tuesday praised the TVK MLAs for maintaining calm during the uproar over Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay’s remarks on the Sarkaria Commission and said he did not regret ordering the eviction of DMK members from the House.
The Speaker’s remarks came after DMK members protested his decision not to expunge Vijay’s comments from the Assembly records. The DMK MLAs surrounded the Speaker’s chair and raised slogans, following which Prabhakar directed the Assembly marshals to remove them from the House.
Defending his decision, Prabhakar said the dignity of the Assembly was paramount and questioned whether allowing DMK members to speak was the mistake he had committed.
He alleged that the DMK members had an intention to prevent the House from functioning and said he did not consider their eviction to be wrong.
The Speaker also said the Assembly had to conclude its proceedings by 1.30 pm and questioned what he could do if the DMK members prevented the House from completing its business.
Prabhakar reiterated that he had already explained why the Chief Minister’s remarks could not be removed from the Assembly records.
He specifically appreciated the TVK MLAs for maintaining peace during the commotion. “I am happy that the TVK MLAs maintained calm,” he said.
Referring to AIADMK general secretary and former Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami, the Speaker said he had been watching the developments unfold, remarking that Palaniswami appeared to be waiting to see what would happen.
The Speaker’s comments came amid heightened tension in the Assembly following the DMK’s demand that Vijay’s remarks on the Sarkaria Commission be expunged from the records.