DMK, AIADMK MPs clash in Rajya Sabha

NEW DELHI: The issue of Indian fishermen being arrested by Sri Lankan navy triggered an ugly spat between MPs of the DMK and AIADMK in the Rajya Sabha on Friday in the presence of PM Narendra Modi with members of the J. Jayalalithaa-led party taking objection to use of “unparliamentary language” by a DMK member. It all started when Tiruchy Siva of the DMK raised the issue of fishermen hailing from Tamil Nadu being arrested by the Sri Lankan navy and alleged that the Union government, be it the UPA or NDA, not being interested in safeguarding their interests.

When Mr Siva was speaking, CPI’s D. Raja and T.K. Rangarajan of CPM rose from their seats and demanded that since Mr Modi was present in the House, he should respond.
Even after Mr Siva’s turn was over and Deputy Chairman P.J. Kurien called out the next speaker, Mr A. Navaneethakrishnan of the AIADMK, he kept raising the issue, which irked the Chair.

When Mr Navaneethakrishnan referred to AIADMK chief Jayalalithaa as “people’s chief minister”, both Mr Siva and another DMK member, Mr K.P. Ramalingam, were on their feet demanding to know what “people’s chief minister” meant. At this juncture, Mr Kurien asked the DMK members why were they protesting to that particular phrase and that is when a DMK member allegedly made certain remarks, which could not be heard in the din.

The AIADMK members, including Mr V. Maitreyan, were seen rushing towards the seats of the DMK members, prompting telecom minister Ravishankar Prasad to rush towards them and mollify them.While Mr Siva blamed the AIADMK members for the row saying that it was they who came to the DMK side, members from the AIADMK said one of the DMK members “threatened” them.

Mr Kurien also told Mr Siva that he should not obstruct the House unnecessarily and that he should set an example for others as he was on the panel of the Chair. Mr Navaneethakrishnan took a jibe at the DMK saying they should “also learn yoga and balance properly”, while Mr Prasad said: “We must maintain dignity. We should not use unparliamentary language or behaviour...We can convey our  views but we should not lose temper.”

Earlier, Mr Siva said despite the fishermen issue being raised in Parliament several times, it continues to happen regularly and it seems raising the matter in the House has become a “futile exercise”.