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Tamil Nadu
By Our Special Correspondent
"Only if Dr. Kumaradas says he faces no threat to his life from Mr. Ilamvazhuthi can a resolution be moved in the Assembly (when it meets next) to withdraw the criminal action," Mr. Kalimuthu told the media here. With the Opposition parties' protest meeting against the arrest of Mr. Ilamvazhuthi, scheduled in the city this evening, the Speaker called an urgent media conference here this morning to defend the criminal proceedings against the DMK MLA. "It was a fair and proper action," he said. On January 30, during the Assembly proceedings, Mr. Ilamvazhuthi charged towards Dr. Kumaradas, leader of the Tamil Maanila Kamaraj Congress Katchi, "pushing aside" a few other legislators and threw a challenge that he would be eliminated if he stepped on the Chennai streets, Mr. Kalimuthu insisted. "As it is the Speaker's duty to provide security for all MLAs inside the House, Mr. Ilamvazhuthi was suspended till the budget session of the Assembly. And, to ensure Dr. Kumaradas' safety outside the Assembly, criminal action was initiated against Mr.Ilamvazhuthi." Maintaining that the DMK legislator was consistently indulging in "abusive, obscene and unparliamentary speeches," Mr. Kalimuthu said he had been suspended from the House eight times in the past for his behaviour. The Speaker also expressed "shock" at the charge of leaders of various Opposition parties, in their petition, that Dr. Kumaradas made casteist remarks against Mr. Ilamvazhuthi. "When Mr. Ilamvazhuthi himself had not made any such charge in his complaint against Dr. Kumaradas on the afternoon of January 30, how did the Opposition leaders including K. Anbazhagan (DMK), J. Hemachandran (CPI-M), and G.K. Mani (PMK), who were not present in the Assembly when the incident took place, hear it," Mr. Kalimuthu asked. It was "regrettable" that the Opposition leaders, instead of cooperating with the Chair to maintain the dignity and decorum of the Assembly, were politicising the issue. "Let the Opposition parties form a political front. But they should not issue statements that lower the dignity of the House. It will be a grave danger to Assembly norms." When pointed out that ruling AIADMK members also flung such threatening remarks against the Opposition MLAs, the Speaker said such heated exchanges could not be equated with Mr. Ilamvazhuthi's behaviour in the House on January 30. Asked if he was acting in an impartial manner, Mr. Kalimuthu shot back: "Yes. Certainly. That is what the Chief Minister, Jayalalithaa, told me when she chose me for Speakership. And, I have not violated the Assembly rules or norms. Neither have I initiated any action out of vendetta." Reacting to the BJP leader, M. Venkaiah Naidu's observation that the Legislature should have dealt with Ilamvazhuthi's issue instead of referring the complaint to the police, Mr. Kalimuthu quipped: " Only the person who wears the slippers will know where it bites. Outsiders may not know the problems inside the Assembly." He also dismissed as "baseless" Mr. Ilamvazhuthi's counter-charge that he faced a threat to his life from Dr. Kumaradas. "His complaint was not spontaneous and was made after consulting lawyers. It is totally baseless."
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