The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : AIADMK MLAs evicted

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Friday, May 04, 2007
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

AIADMK MLAs evicted

Special Correspondent

ON THE WARPATH: AIADMK MLAs coming out of the Assembly on Thursday. — Photo: V. Ganesan

CHENNAI: Members of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam were evicted from the Assembly on Thursday after they refused to resume their seats and tried to interrupt a Congress MLA from being heard. Trouble began when former AIADMK Minister and MLA C.V. Shanmugham was asked to resume his seat and the next speaker, M.K. Vishnu Prasad, called to speak on the debate on demands for grants for Higher Education department. Mr. Shanmugham wanted some more time to make his points but this was denied.

Speaker R. Avudaiappan said that the member had taken up 35 minutes when his allotted time was only 15 minutes. At this, all the AIADMK members were on their feet demanding that Mr. Shanmugham be allotted some more time. When this was not heeded to, some of them resorted to slogan shouting even as Dr. Prasad, who was barely audible, continued to speak. The Speaker warned them that he would be forced to take action and called the Opposition Deputy Leader O. Panneerselvam near the Chair to explain to him how much time the member had taken. As the pandemonium continued, the Speaker asked the watch and ward to evict the AIADMK members.

Mr. Shanmugham, who was being led out, came to the Speaker's chair and tore up a copy of a letter with the emblem of Anna University, and dumped it on the Speaker's table before he went out.

The Leader of the House, K. Anbazhagan moved a resolution suspending Mr. Shanmugham for the rest of the session. This was adopted by a voice vote. The Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam members also staged a walkout.

Attendance issue

Earlier speaking on the debate, Mr. Shanmugham wanted to know why Anna University relaxed the attendance norms for writing examinations for the Chief Minister's grandson and Electricity Minister's grandson. Higher Education Minister K. Ponmudy, who intervened, said that the member was merely reading out his leader's press release, which was like a Goebbels release. AIADMK members objected to the usage and were on their feet. Mr. Ponmudy said that he could prove that he was right and the former Chief Minister was wrong. He said the Chief Minister's grandson did not write the examination at all while two nephews of the Electricity Minister had attendance over the specified limit. The relaxation was for some students who could not attend classes because they fell ill due to chikungunya and chicken pox.

At this, Congress leader D. Sudarsanam, who is also Syndicate member of Anna University, said that the students would be allowed only after they produced the relevant medical certificates.

Mr. Ponmudy said during the last regime 37 students of a self-financing college were permitted by the Vice-Chancellor to write the examination. This time it was the highest body of the University — the Syndicate — which had decided; not the Vice-Chancellor.

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