GIM 'success' echoes in Tamil Nadu Assembly; Jayalalithaa lauded

Chennai:  Tamil Nadu Assembly on Monday lauded Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa for the "success" of the state's maiden two-day Global Investors Meet which attracted Rs 2.42 lakh crore investments.

As Jayalalithaa arrived in the Assembly, which met after more than a week-long break, ruling AIADMK members welcomed her by thumping the desks.

Speaker P Dhanapal set the tone, heaping praises on the Chief Minister, saying that the GIM, held last week, was an "unprecedented success", as the expected commitments had exceeded the Rs one lakh crore target. He expressed "joy on behalf of the House" over the success of the two-day GIM held from September 9.

Earlier, AIADMK members, including Ministers, who spoke during the Question Hour, lauded Jayalalithaa for ensuring huge investments.

Incidentally, Rural Industries Minister P Mohan, responding to a demand from CPI (M) member K Balabarathy for more industrialisation efforts in the southern states, pointed out that the Chief Minister had exactly focussed on the same during the GIM and ensured that the region got a significant chunk of the investments.

Later, DMK members tried to seek some clarifications on GIM, but the Speaker denied permission. With their repeated pleas going unheeded by the Chair, the party members led by their Floor Leader M K Stalin, staged a walkout.

Later, the house witnessed walkouts by Left parties, Congress and Puthiya Tamizhagam after being denied permission to raise various issues.

The opposition parties sought the permission of the Speaker to raise various issues soon after Jayalalithaa completed a series of announcements.

CPI (M) and CPI tried to raise some issues and were engaged in a heated debate with the Speaker who refused them permission following which their members staged a walkout. Congress and Puthiya Tamizhagam MLAs also staged walkouts after their demands to raise certain issues were turned down by Dhanapal.