Chennai: The Katchatheevu issue and subsequent mention of former Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa’s name by DMK deputy floor leader K. Duraimurugan on Tuesday led to a furore in the Assembly with both the ruling and Opposition members standing up and verbally clashing with each other.
When leader of Opposition, who spoke on the discussion on the motion to thank Governor’s address, said fishermen are being arrested by the Sri Lankan navy and the state government had not retrieved the fishermen’s boats, fisheries minister D. Jayakumar said the state government had brought back 357 of the boats and would take steps to bring back the remaining 118 boats.
He said it was during the DMK rule that the fishermen were shot dead by the Lankan navy. Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam, who intervened, said the granting of Katchatheevu islet by the Union government during the DMK rule was the genesis of the fishermen problem. After the agreement only, the boundaries of Tamil Nadu fishermen had shrunk and the Lankan navy is attacking and arresting them.
At this juncture, Duraimurugan got up and said the islet was given without the consent of the DMK government which opposed the move. He also charged that former Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa had written a letter to former Prime Minister A.B. Vajpayee that the Katchatheevu issue had been closed after it was granted to Lanka. When Jayakumar rose to give a reply, DMK members got up from their seats and opposed the intervention of ministers during Stalin’s speech. However, Speaker P. Dhanapal said the ministers had the duty to reply and clarify, but the DMK members continued to oppose the intervention of ministers.
Jayakumar, who stood up said DMK leader M. Karunanidhi had issued a statement that he had negotiated with the centre to get a few concessions for fishermen in the Katchatheevu agreement. Recalling Jayalalithaa’s statement in the Assembly, he said instead of opposing the agreement fully, the DMK got a few concessions which showed that they were part of the negotiations to grant Katchatheevu.
The DMK members again were on their feet objecting to the minister’s intervention when their leader Stalin is speaking on the Governor’s address.
However, Jayakumar pointed out that Duraimurugan had called their revered leader Amma by her name and asked what locus standi he had to do it.
All AIADMK members including ministers stood up, shouting at DMK members who reciprocated by rushing to the Speaker’s podium and raising slogans against the ruling party members. They also accused ministers including V.C. Shanmugam of insulting the DMK members by their body language. The melee and furious exchange of words continued for about half an hour, till the Speaker managed to pacify the AIADMK members.
