Chennai: Defending DMK’s walkouts from the Assembly, party chief M. Karunanidhi on Thursday said his party members who walk out as a sign of protest on a particular issue return to the House to take part in the proceedings.
In his question and answers in party organ Murasoli, the DMK leader said his party MLAs are not evading their responsibilities as they return to the Assembly and convey their views on various issues. He also said AIADMK too had resorted to walkouts in the past.
In 1998, AIADMK members walked out from Parliament when the party was part of the Union ministry. They indulged in a series of walkouts for a week from June 5 that year demanding dissolution of DMK government in TN.
Karunanidhi also recalled incidents in Assembly when he had recommended the withdrawal of suspension of AIADMK members. He said the AIADMK members disrupted the proceedings of the House indulging in ruckus during the Governor’s address on January 7, 2011. They were evicted and suspended from Assembly proceedings for the whole session, but the decision was revoked following his intervention, he recalled.
Besides, on October 18, 2007 a similar ruckus occurred in the Assembly when the then Local Administration minister M.K. Stalin was speaking. The Opposition members were evicted from the House and one of the members A.K. Bose snatched the cap of a sergeant and threw it on the Speaker.
Though it was decided to suspend him for six months, the punishment was withdrawn after 10 days, Karunanidhi recalled. After a similar eviction on November 13, 2008, when Karunanidhi was not present in the House, he requested AIADMK members to return, but they did not do so.
