An unwritten convention in the Assembly is that former Chief Ministers, including M Karunanidhi and J Jayalalithaa, are referred to with due respect rather than by name.

The DMK strongly objected to the minister's remarks. Intervening in the debate, former Chief Minister and DMK MLA O Panneerselvam recalled that during the AIADMK regime, then Chief Minister MG Ramachandran had warned a ruling party member for referring to former Chief Minister Karunanidhi by his name.

"The members of this Assembly should also follow the dignity and conventions defined by our leaders," Panneerselvam said.

At that time, Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay intervened and apologised for his Cabinet colleague's remarks before making a statement under Rule 110. "It was wrong for the minister to mention your leader's name. I am sorry," the Chief Minister said.

However, the issue triggered another uproar when Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Minister S Ramesh made remarks about the Leader of the Opposition.

He said the former Chief Minister (OPS) should teach the Leader of the Opposition a lesson about the dignity of the Assembly, who remains seated whenever the Chief Minister enters the House.

The DMK hit back, saying that the Speaker alone is the head of the House, and if the CM needs to be respected, then the same rule applies to the Leader of the Opposition, questioning whether ruling party MLAs reciprocate it to DMK leader Udhayanidhi Stalin.