Guv walks out of TN Assembly due to "problem" with TN govt, Speaker, says EPS

CHENNAI: Leader of Opposition Edappadi K Palaniswami on Monday dubbed Governor R N Ravi's walkout in the midst of the inaugural assembly session for the year 2024 as a fallout of the "problems" between them (Governor and the DMK Government).

Referring to Speaker M Appavu's remark against the Governor, EPS said the Governor requested that the National Anthem should be sung at the beginning and end of his speech. As his suggestion was ignored, he refused to deliver the customary address at the House.

"This is a problem between the Governor and Government-Speaker. Only they (Government/Speaker) can give an answer to it. We are an Opposition party. You (journalists) have to question the state government and the Speaker regarding this issue," he deflected the question when the journalists sought his view on the Governor's refusal to read the government prepared text and staged a walkout when the Speaker passed a critical remark.

"The Speaker should clarify what is the tradition of the House," he said while responding to a question whether the Governor is insisting the Speaker to change the tradition of the House.

The Speaker should remain neutral and beyond political lines. But the Speaker had deviated from tradition of the House on several occasions, he said to allude that the Speaker refused to allocate a seat to Deputy Leader of Opposition R B

Udhayakumar next to him in the House. He further said there were no development projects and new schemes found in the Governor's speech.

Meanwhile, floor leader of BJP Nainar Nagendran said that the Governor walked out of the Assembly when the tradition of the House was not respected, and the Speaker made unwanted remarks.

"The Governor, as per the tradition, has to read out the prepared text by the Government. He read out two paragraphs in the text and opted out of reading the rest of the text for not singing the National Anthem ahead of his speech. He sat till the Speaker read the Tamil version of the prepared text and he walked out of the House only after the Speaker's remark (that was expunged later)," said teh BJP floor leader.

Respecting the House tradition, they refrained from staging a walkout, he said. He, however, refused to respond to the question whether the Governor is insisting the Speaker to alter the tradition and customs of the House.

Coimbatore South MLA and national women wing leader of BJP Vanathi Srinivasan has also registered her protest against the Speaker for his critical remark and said the Governor has "all the right not to read out statements''.