The Assembly witnessed a different kind of political theatre on Monday — one in which noise from the Opposition benches failed to drown out the man at the microphone
CHENNAI: They shouted, they protested and they stormed the Well. But Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay did not give them what they apparently wanted — silence from the Chief Minister.
The Assembly witnessed a different kind of political theatre on Monday — one in which noise from the Opposition benches failed to drown out the man at the microphone.
What began as a much-awaited reply by Mr Vijay in the Tamil Nadu Assembly turned into a high-decibel political showdown, with the DMK legislators repeatedly disrupting the proceedings as he trained his guns on the previous regime over corruption allegations. But the disruptions had an unexpected effect: Vijay simply raised his voice and carried on.
Having promised last week that he would return to the House and respond to the Opposition, Mr Vijay arrived at the Assembly around 9.30 am and began his speech at 9.34 am. For the next nearly one hour, he remained firmly on the offensive, taking on the DMK and presenting his version of alleged corruption under the previous government.
The moment Mr Vijay began making politically uncomfortable references to the DMK regime, the Opposition benches erupted. Slogans, protests and repeated interruptions threatened to turn the Chief Minister’s reply into another noisy Assembly session.
Mr Vijay, however, appeared unfazed. As the volume from the DMK benches rose, so did his own. He increased his decibel level, spoke over the din and refused to allow the interruptions to dictate the pace or direction of his speech.
The scene gradually became a political contest of its own — the Opposition trying to drown him out and the Chief Minister responding by making himself heard even louder.
The DMK legislators later entered the Well of the House and continued their protests. But Mr Vijay stayed with his script and completed his reply, ending his speech around 10.30 am.
The Speaker subsequently observed that the disruptions were aimed at preventing Mr Vijay from delivering his reply, but the Chief Minister had succeeded in completing his speech. And there was a softer moment amid the political fireworks.
When DMK legislators began leaving the House, Thiruvaiyaru MLA Durai Chandrasekhar, who had difficulty getting up, remained seated. Mr Vijay noticed him and extended a helping hand. The gesture drew table-thumping from members, briefly replacing political confrontation with a moment of courtesy.
For Mr Vijay, fiery Monday’s episode was therefore more than another Assembly clash. It was also a test of whether a Chief Minister could hold the floor when the House itself seemed determined not to let him speak.
The answer came at 10.30 am. The speech was over. The allegations had been placed on record. And the attempted disruption had failed to stop Mr Vijay from completing what he had promised to do.
Reacting to the unruly behaviour of the DMK members, Speaker JCD Prabakar said “Having repeatedly asked when the Chief Minister would speak, you should have listened in silence when he was delivering his reply. Instead, holding up posters and shouting slogans in the House is strongly condemnable.
He said “You engaged in such acts only to prevent the Chief Minister from speaking. Your intentions will not succeed; he has fully concluded his address."
