MLAs pay-off row: Opposition parties stages walkout

Chennai: The DMK and its ally Congress on Thursday staged a walkout from the Tamil Nadu Assembly after the speaker disallowed a discussion on the issue of alleged horse-trading of AIADMK MLAs.

When Leader of Opposition M K Stalin tried to raise the issue "of some legislators being in the news" for the past three days, Speaker P Dhanapal said he had already given his ruling on this matter yesterday disallowing discussion since the matter was sub-judice and also it was based on media reports.

Still, when Stalin insisted that he will not "get into court case" and said the Assembly rule only disallowed "expression of opinion" in an ongoing court case, Dhanapal did not allow his plea.

Soon, all the DMK MLAs stood up and walked out of the House led by Stalin.

After DMK members left, Congress Legislature Party Leader K R Ramasamy said their party too was walking out as the chair did not accord permission to raise the matter.

Dhanapal, later cited precedents from the House records beginning from the 4th Assembly in 1972 to the first quarter of 2011, which was the fag end of the previous DMK regime, to say that discussion based on media reports sans evidence could not be allowed.

He said speakers on various points of time had ruled against discussion based on media reports.

Even, Leader of Opposition (then Minister in DMK regime) Stalin, former Chief Minister M Karunanidhi and senior DMK leader K Anbazhagan had said that discussion based on media reports without evidence was not allowable in the House.

Dhanapal later said if members had evidence for their claims, it could be submitted to him and if found in order, he would allow discussion.

He asserted that nobody could criticise his ruling and said the matter should be ended.