Gutka bribes: Call to sack TN health minister, 2 top cops

Chennai: The. issue of health minister C Vijayabhaskar and top police officials allegedly being paid huge sums of money as bribe for allowing the sale of banned gutka in Chennai rocked the Tamil Nadu Assembly on Wednesday.

The principal opposition DMK demanded the sacking of the minister and top police officials who were said to have been named in a diary seized by the Income-Tax department, according to a newspaper report.

The Assembly Speaker P Dhanapal, however, refused to discuss the issue on the floor of the House. He made it clear that the news appearing in newspapers cannot be discussed in the Assembly.

DMK MLAs then raised slogans criticising the State and waved newspaper clippings seeking an explanation from the controversial minister.

When the speaker expunged the remarks made by the DMK leader M.K. Stalin, the DMK MLAs left the House en masse, shouting slogans in the corridors calling the State corrupt in encouraging the sale of gutka.

The Treasury benches remained unmoved despite the opposition creating a ruckus through their non-stop sloganeering for about ten minutes.

Earlier, Stalin mentioned about the I-T raid at a godown in Madhavaram and pointed out that a diary with names of minister and top cops was seized, to which the Speaker said, “If you have proof, give it to me. I will study it and allow. Further, the matter is under investigation and nothing would go on record”, he said.

DMK leader Duraimurugan returned to his seat after the walk out also tried to raise a point of order and wanted to speak on gutka, but the Speaker ruled that nothing would go on record.

Opposition leader Stalin told reporters that the speaker was not ready to discuss the serious charges of corruption raised by the I-T department.

Till date, there has been no action against any corruption or scam that has come out in open, Stalin said. He also demanded the resignation of the health minister and demanded action against DGP TK Rajendran and the fire service director S George and alleged that Rs 40 crore had been given by the gutka manufacturer to ensure the uninterrupted sale of the banned substance in Tamil Nadu.