Pro-TVK Assembly clips erode House dignity, says LoP

CHENNAI: Leader of the Opposition Udhayanidhi Stalin on Saturday wrote to Speaker JCD Prabhakar, urging him to ensure the live telecast of speeches by opposition leaders when the Assembly reconvenes on Monday, and not to release an edited version favourable to the ruling dispensation.

Selective release of House proceedings is an affront to the Assembly, the LoP said in the letter.

The letter comes in the wake of the abrupt suspension of the live telecast of the proceedings during the debate on the Motion of Thanks to the Governor's Address on Friday, amid charges of a raucous session and allegations that a ruling party MLA tried to attack the ruling party legislators.

Referring to remarks made by minister Rajmohan in the Assembly, Udhayanidhi said the Minister had hailed the resumption of live telecast after three years and described it as a hallmark of democratic functioning. However, he pointed out that the telecast was discontinued on the very same day.

"The decision to stop the live telecast runs contrary to the assurances given by the ruling party. It not only silences the voices of elected representatives but also undermines the dignity of the Assembly," Udhayanidhi said in his letter.

The DMK leader further alleged that portions of the proceedings were selectively edited and distributed to media organisations in a manner favourable to the ruling party.

"Assembly proceedings held on Friday were edited and circulated to media houses. This is not a constructive democracy. The people have a right to know what their elected representatives speak about inside the House," he said.

Recalling Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay's repeated emphasis on transparency in governance, Udhayanidhi argued that blacking out opposition speeches was inconsistent with that commitment.

"When the speeches of opposition leaders are not telecast, the public is denied an opportunity to hear alternative views and hold informed opinions. Such actions push democracy into darkness rather than strengthening it," he said.

Terming the move "fascist", the Opposition leader alleged that providing only selected portions of Assembly proceedings to the media amounted to presenting a one-sided narrative of the debate.

"This is an affront to the Assembly, to elected representatives and to the media. I appeal to the Speaker to ensure that the speeches of opposition leaders scheduled for Monday are telecast in full. Otherwise, it defeats the very purpose of a representative legislature and diminishes the value of the mandate given by the people," Udhayanidhi said.

Interestingly, the DMK, in its 2021 election manifesto, promised that the proceedings of the Assembly would be telecast live, as is done for Parliamentary and other state legislative proceedings. But it did not fulfil it.