Date:12/04/2003 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2003/04/12/stories/2003041204770100.htm

Southern States - Tamil Nadu

Walkout to protest CM offensive

By Our Special Correspondent

Chennai April 11. On the second successive day today of ruckus in the Tamil Nadu Assembly over the arrest of the DMK leader, M. K. Stalin, the entire Opposition, barring the BJP, staged an angry walkout protesting the Chief Minister, Jayalalithaa's stinging abuse that the Opposition behaviour was ``reprehensible and irresponsible''.

In one of her most unrestrained attacks on the Opposition, including the Congress and the Left parties, which are solidly backing the DMK in the Stalin arrest episode, Ms. Jayalalithaa fumed: ``People hate you for your utter irresponsibility.''

Throwing Assembly rules to the winds and forgetting their duty and responsibility towards the people, the Opposition parties were ``behaving atrociously in the House every day'', an incensed Ms. Jayalalalithaa alleged in a high-pitched tone. Outraged by the offensive, the leaders of the Congress, the CPI, the CPI (M) and the Pattali Makkal Katchi stood up to launch a counter-attack, but the Speaker, K. Kalimuthu, stoutly refused permission. An angry Congress Legislature Party leader, S. R. Balasubramaniam, led his slogan-shouting party members out and the PMK MLAs followed suit.

But the Left members stayed on for a while with J. Hemachandran of the CPI (M) making angry pleas that the Opposition be allowed to record its objections to the Chief Minister's charge. When the Speaker ignored his appeals, the communist bloc too reluctantly left.

Earlier, Mr. Balasubramaniam talked of the ``extraordinary situation'' prevailing in the State. But the Chief Minister insisted that the State was peaceful and that the rights of the MLAs were only within the Assembly. The five DMK MLAs (who were arrested) had committed a criminal trespass, entering the campus of the Queen Mary's College here and there was nothing improper in their arrest, she said.

As the Congress leader countered, saying MLAs had every right to visit any place, Ms. Jayalalithaa said the Chief Justice of the Madras High Court had, in his interim direction in the QMC demolition case yesterday, stated no political leader should enter the college premises. When Mr. Balasubramaniam said none could stop MLAs from visiting any premises, Ms. Jayalalithaa shot back: ``Had he made such a statement outside the House, he would have been hauled up for contempt of court''. But, the Congress leader quickly pointed out that the court observations were made only yesterday and not on Tuesday when Mr. Stalin visited the college.

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