CHENNAI: The opposition AIADMK members staged a walkout from the Tamil Nadu Assembly on Wednesday after Speaker JCD Prabhakar ruled that an issue the party wanted to raise would be taken up on Thursday.
As Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay was making a slew of announcements, the House was suddenly disrupted when AIADMK leader Edappadi K Palaniswami asked the Speaker to take up an issue for which his party had given a notice.
The Speaker repeatedly appealed for order, urging the members to adhere to established democratic procedures. He reassured that the urgent issues submitted by members had already been forwarded to the government for necessary action and would be formally addressed the following morning.
Emphasising the Assembly’s heavy legislative schedule for the day, which included discussions on crucial grants for three government departments, the Speaker insisted on maintaining decorum and requested members to resume their seats.
However, unsatisfied with Prabhakar’s decision, the AIADMK members staged a walkout.
Later, speaking to reporters outside the Assembly complex, Palaniswami launched a sharp attack on the ruling TVK government over its response to a recent tragedy involving a fisherman from
Palaniswami noted that his party has been insisting on discussions about the TN fisherman shot dead by Iranian pirates but has not received a concrete response Mayiladuthurai.
He claimed a fisherman was shot dead by Iranian pirates while working in Saudi Arabia, while three others were injured and were currently undergoing treatment.
Accusing the administration of inaction, Palaniswami alleged that the opposition had raised the issue in the House on five consecutive days without receiving a concrete response. He demanded that the state government take immediate measures to bring the deceased fisherman’s body to Tamil Nadu, ensure high-quality medical care for the injured, and extend financial aid to the affected families.