89 Scarecrows' comment leads to TN assembly adjournment
The DMK MLAs were immediately on their feet protesting the remarks and sought its immediate expunging.
Chennai: For the first time in the last couple of decades, Speaker P. Dhanapal on Wednesday adjourned the Assembly for the day after DMK members stalled the House proceedings following a ‘scarecrow’ remark by an AIADMK MLA. Even after the Speaker deferred the reply of state electricity minister on grants for his department for Thursday, DMK members staged a sit-in protest raising slogans against Dhanapal for five minutes in the House and then disbursed.
The pandemonium started when AIADMK Paramakudi MLA Muthaiah while speaking on the energy and prohibition demand said “there are 89 scarecrows”, drawing an angry response from DMK members, who have that number of members in the Assembly.
The DMK MLAs were immediately on their feet protesting the remarks and sought its immediate expunging. But Chief Minister Jayalalithaa defended her party MLAs, saying the remark was neither “unparliamentary nor abusive”. She wondered why the DMK members were protesting the remark about “scarecrow in paddy fields”. However, the DMK MLAs did not budge and demanded that the remarks be expunged. Noisy scenes followed as they stood up demanding action.
Dhanapal refused to expunge the remarks saying it was not unparliamentary or abusive and did not point at anybody. He made it clear there would be no review of his verdict.
This further infuriated DMK MLAs, who kept raising slogans against AIADMK MLAs and the Speaker in particular for not allowing Opposition leader M.K. Stalin to speak.
Later, the Speaker allowed Stalin to address with a condition not to speak against his ruling. But the Speaker expunged some of Stalin’s remarks.
Even as the Speaker repeatedly pleaded with agitating DMK MLAs to cooperate with him in running the House, a near clash broke out between DMK and AIADMK MLAs following heated exchanges. With DMK members raising slogans against AIADMK members and the Speaker was seen holding discussion with leader of the House O. Panneerselvam and DMK deputy leader Duraimurugan.
Finally, the Speaker said DMK MLAs were not cooperating with him in the smooth conduct of the House and that the people were aware of this. Though he had earlier summoned the electricity minister to reply on the debate on the grants for his department, it did not take place due to the ruckus. The Speaker then said the business hours had ended and asked the minister to reply tomorrow, even as he said proceedings have come to a close for the day.