Ilamvazhuthi suspended for two days

By Our Special Correspondent

CHENNAI, AUG. 20. The Tamil Nadu Assembly was plunged into pandemonium today even as the opposition DMK MLA and former Deputy Speaker, Mr. Parithi Ilamvazhuthi, was suspended for two days from the House for his ``indecent remarks'' against the Speaker, which were instantly expunged.

Later in the evening, the DMK president, Mr. M. Karunanidhi, said Mr. Ilamvazhuthi could have avoided the comment. ``He could have contested what the Speaker described as lamentation. Instead, he cited something the Speaker had spoken outside the House''.

Earlier in the Assembly, as tempers ran high, the Leader of the Opposition and senior DMK leader, Mr. K. Anbazhagan, walked out in a huff over his party MLAs' conduct. The deputy leader of the Opposition, Mr. Durai Murugan, then led a walk-out by the DMK MLAs, protesting the ``suspension'' of Mr. Ilamvazhuthi.

Outside the Assembly, another drama unfolded in the lobby as the AIADMK MLA, Mr. Pollachi V. Jayaraman, who was dropped from the Cabinet, charged towards Mr. Ilamvazhuthi with abusive remarks and the DMK MLAs, particularly Mr. Ashokan, retorted with loud threats.

The day's proceedings began on an acrimonious note with Mr. Durai Murugan stoutly objecting to the Speaker, Mr. K. Kalimuthu's ruling that the adjournment motion on the June 30 arrest of Mr. Karunanidhi and the police firing on the August 12 DMK rally could not be allowed as the issues were sub judice. Quoting rules 66 and 67 of the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly Rules, the Speaker said the Government had set up commissions of inquiry to go into the incidents, and hence, the matters were sub judice. Even as Mr. Anbazhagan argued that a commission was only a fact- finding committee and hence, a discussion could be allowed on the issues, the Chief Minister, Ms. Jayalalithaa, read out rule 66 and justified the Speaker's stance.

Countering, the DMK MLAs asked why the Chief Minister had issued statements on the incidents if they were sub judice. Later, while initiating the debate on the budget, a taunting Mr. Ilamvazhuthi said all ``new proposals'' including the wasteland development programme were announced by the erstwhile DMK regime.

To this, Ms. Jayalalithaa asserted that no previous Government had come up with such a ``grand project'' to turn 20 lakh hectares of wasteland into farms.

When the Speaker derisively remarked that Mr. Ilamvazhuthi's was only ``lamenting'', the DMK member flung a sharp retort, which was expunged immediately amid an uproar from the AIADMK members demanding an apology. ``His remarks only show that he is an untilled wasteland,'' the Speaker countered.

Prompted by the strident demand by Mrs. D. Yasodha (Congress) and Mr. Abdul Latheef (INL) for stern action to uphold the dignity of the House, the Speaker asked the Leader of the House, Mr. C. Ponnaiyan, to move the resolution, suspending Mr. Ilamvazhuthi. Mr. Anbazhagan appealed to the Chair, in vain, to review the ``punishment'' as the remarks were expunged. He said he was willing to apologise if the remarks were objectionable.

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