Chennai: Continuing their agitation for the second day, Opposition DMK legislators who have been suspended for a week, on Friday conducted a mock Assembly at Fort St. George to highlight functioning of the House.
Like usual Assembly proceedings, the suspended DMK MLAs gathered outside the Assembly building’s Gate No 4 under the leadership of party treasurer and leader of Opposition M.K. Stalin. Duraimurugan was the ‘Speaker’.
Duraimurugan began proceedings by reading out a Thirukkural and immediately started the ‘question hour’. Duraimurugan, who was at his witty best, said his word was final and asked them to respect the ‘Chair’. When DMK MLAs asked questions, senior leaders like K. Ponmudy and E.V. Velu who acted like ministers gave replies to queries.
The mock Assembly is not something new to the state. In 2004, DMK along with allies Congress, PMK, CPI (M) and CPI staged a mock Assembly protesting drastic curtailment of the budget session. In 2011, AIADMK along with MDMK and Left parties held a mock session protesting suspension of nine AIADMK MLAs.
When Thousand Lights MLA Ku. Ka. Selvam raised his hands seeking a chance to raise a question, Duraimurugan asked him to sit down saying he would give him a chance. The DMK veteran warned J. Anbazhagan to sit down and not to disrupt the proceedings.
After the ‘question hour’, “Speaker” Duraimurugan asked members to move call attention motion. Later, Stalin stood up to raise the issue of Cauvery waters and Karnataka’s decision to erect a dam at Mekedatu on the river.
After the hour-long novel protest by suspended DMK MLAs, Stalin told mediapersons they conducted the mock Assembly to highlight the fact that a live telecast of proceedings would present the correct picture to people as to what exactly was happening inside the House.
Meanwhile, Speaker P. Dhanapal on Friday once again ruled out reconsidering the suspension of DMK MLAs. The Speaker, responding to pleas by DMK’s K.N. Nehru, who was not among those suspended since he was not present in the House on August 17, made it clear there was no reviewing of his decision to suspend the agitating DMK legislators for a week.
“I was very patient that day and had to finally take action,” he said. The Congress and IUML also sought revoking the suspension order. Seven of the nine non-suspended DMK legislators, who were not present in the House on Wednesday, along with Congress and IUML members subsequently staged a walkout.
