Guv speech ‘ritualistic,’ says Stalin justifying boycott

The DMK-led Opposition on Monday boycotted the Governor’s address and staged a walkout from the state Assembly citing a host of issues, including ruling AIADMK’s support to the controversial Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and mounting debt of the state exchequer.

The 100-MLA strong DMK, led by its legislature party leader MK Stalin sought to raise the issues moments after Governor Banwarilal Purohit offered his NewYear greetings to the House in Tamil on the inaugural day of maiden session ofthe Assembly.

Unsurprisingly, Stalin commandeered his lieutenants out of the House after they were denied permission to discuss the issues during the Governor’s address. Congress legislators, Manithaneya Jananayaga Katchi MLA Tamimun Ansari, IUML MLA Abu Backer and lone AMMK MLA TTV Dhinakaran also followed suit, mainly condemning the ruling AIADMK’s support to CAA and NRC.

Ansari and Abu Backer, in fact, had worn black shirts bearing messages against CAA, National Register of Citizens and National Population Register.

Ansari had briefly sloganeered against the anti-minority stand of the ruling BJP near gate no 4 outside the Assembly.

Emerging out of the House, Stalin said, “Debt of the state has risen above Rs 4 lakh crore. There is no industrial growth in the state. No new jobs have been created. The Governor has yet to act on the resolution of the state cabinet demanding release of the seven Rajiv Gandhi case convicts. The controversial CAA which betrays minorities and Eelam Tamils would not have been passed without the support of the AIADMK. We sought permission to rake up the issues. We were denied permission. Hence, we walked out, boycotting the protest.”

Justifying the boycott, Stalin who is also the Leader of Opposition later tweeted, “I skimmed through all the 56 pages of Governor’s address. There is nothing worth mentioning in it. The Governor has only read the eulogy written by Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami. This is not Governor’s address, but ruling party’s address. It is a comic speech. Stop converting the House into adrama stage.”

In a statement issued in this regard earlier in the day, the Leader of Opposition described the Governor’s speech as ‘ritualistic’ and said they have boycotted the address and walked out of the House because the address would not have any impact on the society in aregime which prioritises corruption and being subservient to the BJP.