DMK councillor evicted, suspended for two sessions

Chennai: Mayor Saidai S. Duraisamy evicted and suspended for two sessions, DMK ward 92 councillor, K. Neelakantan, for raising questions on an AIADMK councillor’s murder.

The murder of ward 86 councillor M. Guru, just before the start of the council proceedings on Wednesday, was cause for a controversy as protocol suggested suspension of council session in the event of a member’s death.

However, with news of Guru’s murder trickling in during the proceedings, Neelakantan raised the question of councillors’ safety. “A member of the council has been murdered by anti-social elements. Still, you (Mayor) are conducting the session with the least concern,” said Neelakantan. “There is a state of lawlessness under the AIADMK regime,” he added.

To this, a startled Mayor replied that Neelakantan should mind his words and not utter “nonsense.” “You are speaking useless things during the council. How can you say such unsubstantiated news. You have a history of doing this all the time,” the Mayor said.

“A sitting MP was murdered during the DMK’s rule,” the Mayor added, to which Neelakantan reacted sharply leading to his microphone getting cut off. Subsequently, the Mayor cautioned the councillor that he would be evicted, if he did not sit down. As Neelakantan kept at it, the Mayor ordered his eviction and also his suspension from the council for the next two monthly sessions.

Talking to mediapersons, Neelakantan said the Mayor was not prepared to listen to what he had to say. “He is conducting the session unmindful of a council member’s murder even,” he noted.

Earlier, ward 91 Congress councillor P.V. Tamilselvan was also evicted during the session. Tamilselvan was removed for protesting that he was not allowed to ask a sub question on a query by AIADMK councillor K. Sivakumar on progress of property tax collection.