Water bottle debate sparks laughter in Tamil Nadu Assembly

CHENNAI: A discussion on drinking water arrangement for legislators triggered a lighter moment in the Assembly on Monday.

DMDK MLA Premallatha Vijayakanth urged the government to provide bottled drinking water to members instead of the existing system of serving water in tumblers upon request.

"We are living in a modern era. Instead of waiting for Assembly staff to bring water in tumblers, bottled water can be kept at members' desks," she suggested.

The proposal prompted an immediate response from DMK MLA O Panneerselvam, who humorously remarked that providing water bottles might create problems if an angry member decided to throw one during a heated debate.

His comment was met with laughter across the House. Adding to the humour, DMK MLA Thangam Thennarasu asked, "Is the member speaking from personal experience?" The remark triggered another round of laughter from members cutting across party affiliations.

The remark was widely interpreted as an indirect reference to the AIADMK General Council meeting held during the party's leadership tussle following the split between the factions led by O Panneerselvam and Edappadi K Palaniswami.

During that meeting, held at a marriage hall, supporters of rival factions clashed, and water bottles were reportedly thrown when O Panneerselvam and his supporters entered the venue.