Allow us to flay if Ministers hail CM, says Dy LoP

He insisted that the Opposition be allowed to condemn the announcement if the Speaker allowed the treasury benches to thank the CM’s announcement.

As the DMK working president MK Stalin rose to speak during the Zero Hour, the Speaker announced that CM would present a statement under Rule 110. Soon after Palaniswami resumed to his seat making the announcement on Kuruvai package, Stalin rose again to speak but was denied opportunity by the Speaker that he would have to allow the Ministers first. Joining the issue, Duraimurugan vehemently opposed the Speaker’s decision.

The DMK senior leader said they should be allowed to criticise the announcement if the Ministers were to be allowed to sing paeans to the CM for the same, citing that the Assembly rule which read, “A statement may be made by a Minister on a matter of public importance with the consent of the Speaker. There shall be no debate on such statement at the time it is made.” Duraimurugan contended, “What democracy is this?” Speaker, in reply, revealed that there were precedents to this practice and there were no breach in the House conventions.

Dhanapal asked Duraimurugan not to get emotional while flagging the issue and pointed out that he would not allow any negative criticism which would be expunged from the Assembly Records. “You can also thank the CM, if you want to,” the Speaker said.

He recalled an incident during the DMK regime when former CM M Karunanidhi himself has allowed this practice in 2007 and the then legislators GK Mani (PMK), N Nanmaran (CPI-M) and V Sivapunniyam (CPI) thanked Karunanidhi.

Duraimurugan, on a sarcastic note, said that he can’t do much about that since the then AIADMK leaders should have opposed it.