Stalin rakes up Sterlite, CM and Speaker strike it down as sub judice

Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami claimed the matter was sub judice and cannot be taken up for debate. The same was echoed by Speaker P Dhanapal.

Stalin said certain remarks were made by the HC over the closure of the copper smelter. Dhanapal ruled that a debate can be taken up once the court case reaches finality.

Replying to another question from Stalin over the completion of underground power cable laying work in Kolathur, Electricity Minister P Thangamani replied that Kolathur would soon become a power-leak incident-free model constituency. To another query, Thangamani said Tangedco would pay enhanced compensation for those giving land for setting up sub-stations.

Health Minister C Vijaya Baskar reiterated that there was no malpractice in organ donations and that TRANSTAN was functioning with utmost transparency while offering to issue a whitepaper on the same. On the poor pass percentage of Tamil medium students in the NEET, Vijaya Baskar said steps have been taken to ensure that students fared well. Following yet another episode of heated exchanges, the DMK staged a walkout. As DMK MLA R Masilamani recited couplet from ‘Thirukkural’ and made some remarks against the government, the Deputy Speaker Pollachi V Jayaraman expunged the same.

While Deputy Opposition Leader Duraimurugan objected to it, Deputy CM O Panneerselvam said only the remarks were removed and not the couplet. “The government has more respect and love for the saint poet Thiruvalluvar than the opposition,” he said. The DMK chose to boycott the reply of Vijaya Baskar, who moved his demand for grants for Health Department, condemning the government for not allowing them to raise a certain issue which was subsequently expunged from the House records.