Edappadi, AIADMK MLAs suspended for entire Assembly session over uproar on Kallakurichi hooch tragedy

CHENNAI: MLAs of the opposition AIADMK, including Leader of Opposition (LoP) Edappadi K Palaniswami have been suspended from the Tamil Nadu Assembly for the remainder of the session for allegedly causing an uproar in the House over the Kallakurichi hooch tragedy.

A resolution on the suspension was successfully moved by Leader of the House Duraimurugan today and unanimously adopted by the House by voice vote. Moments before, AIADMK members were evicted for disrupting the proceedings of the House.

The opposition party members who came to the Assembly clad in black shirts after a day’s suspension on Tuesday, attempted to raise the Kallakurichi hooch tragedy again and sought an adjournment to discuss the issue. But Speaker M Appavu said he would decide on the matter.

However, the AIADMK MLAs insisted that the important issue be discussed immediately and stood protesting. As repeated requests by the Speaker asking them to return to their seats did not evoke a response, Appavu had to order their eviction.

Later, the House passed a unanimous resolution barring the AIADMK members from attending the rest of the session till June 29.

Reasoning the cause of the eviction and suspension, Speaker M Appavu said that the principal opposition party has been seeking adjournment of the session without giving a written notice, and it was only after his advice, did the party whip give a written notice for moving an adjournment motion. However, as per Rule 56 of the State Assembly, it was the prerogative of the Speaker to allow or disallow the motion.

Charging the AIADMK legislators with only wanting to disrupt the proceedings of the House, Appavu said, “I repeatedly asked the AIADMK members to remain seated in the House to learn my decision. But they did not. It seems their intention was neither to speak on the adjournment motion nor the special call attention motion. They only wanted to speak to the media and leave home."

Duraimurugan on the other hand remarked that if the AIADMK members possessed courage, they could go ahead and raise the Kallakurichi issue in the House but they were not doing so because they knew that the Chief Minister would instead detail the hooch tragedies from the ADMK regime.

Meanwhile, as many as 60 persons have died as of Wednesday after consuming illicit arrack on June 19 in Kallakurichi, and several dozens of people are still under treatment in various hospitals.

(With PTI inputs)