Parliament adjourns as T.N. rivals clash

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, AUG. 13. Parliament was prematurely adjourned on Monday without transacting any official business as angry DMK and AIADMK members clashed in both the Houses over the alleged police ``excesses'' at the DMK rally in Chennai on Sunday.

In the Lok Sabha, trouble began soon as the House assembled for question hour as angry DMK MPs trooped into the well shouting slogans against the Tamil Nadu Government and waving newspapers carrying photographs of the police action. In an unprecedented act, Mr. V. Vetriselvan, DMK MP from Krishnagiri, took off his shirt and went round showing the bruise marks on his body. At one point, he even raised his ``dhoti'' to show the injuries he had reportedly sustained but was stopped midway by the timely intervention of Mr. K. Yerran Naidu of the Telugu Desam Party.

Even as senior members such as Mr. Chandra Shekhar and Mr. Priya Ranjan Dasmunshi protested against what was unfolding, the Speaker, Mr. G. M. C. Balayogi, ordered the TV cameras switched off and asked the members to return to their seats. The AIADMK MPs who till then were watching from their seats also stormed into the well of the House waving copies of The Hindu to support their claim that the DMK workers were to blame for the violence. While the DMK was supported by the BJP members, the Congress and RJD MPs rose in support of their ally - the AIADMK. With both sides unrelenting, the Speaker adjourned the House till 2 p.m.

When the House met after lunch, more or less the same scenes were repeated. Mr. Vetriselvan again began unbuttoning his shirt but was prevented from taking it off. His colleagues kept up a continuous chant in favour of a Central inquiry commission, while the AIADMK members countered with slogans of their own. The House was soon adjourned for the day.

In the Rajya Sabha, the DMK raised the issue soon after the House assembled for the day. The party leader in the House, Mr. S. Viduthalai Virumbi, demanded that the Centre take note of the developments in Chennai on Sunday.

The Chairman, Mr. Krishan Kant, said the matter was a State subject and proceeded with question hour. With the AIADMK MPs led by their leader, Mr. P. G. Narayanan, joining issue, the Chairman first ordered the live telecast of the proceedings switched off and subsequently adjourned the House till noon.

When the House reassembled, Mr. Viduthalai Virumbi and Mr. P. N. Siva along with other DMK members, trooped into the well of the House, a method of protest not normally resorted to in the Rajya Sabha. While the DMK members demanded ``justice'', their AIADMK counterparts matched in exercising their vocal chords and countered the charges. The Chairman took less than a minute to adjourn the House for the day.The AIADMK's Mr. Narayanan alleged that the DMK workers had created a law and order problem and raised provocative slogans.

Speaking to reporters outside Parliament House, Mr. Cho S. Ramaswamy, Rajya Sabha member, said there were two versions of Sunday evening's happenings in Chennai. One, that the police exercised restraint before taking action to control the procession and the other was that the police went berserk. He said it was unfortunate that people were killed and injured. On the DMK demand for a judicial probe by the Centre, he said there could not be two parallel inquiries since the State had already ordered a probe.

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