Drama in TN house as Stalin is evicted
Drama erupted in Tamil Nadu assembly on Wednesday with opposition DMK holding “mock auction” of MLAs and demanding to raise the issue of alleged horse-trading of legislators by the ruling AIADMK ahead of the February 18 trust vote.
The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam on Tuesday moved the Madras high court seeking a CBI probe into the alleged bribing of AIADMK legislators ahead of the floor test. The party approached the court after a media sting operation caught on tape two legislators from the rival faction of the ruling party claiming they were offered money and gold to support chief minister EK Palaniswami during the trust vote.
As soon as the assembly convened, the DMK legislators started shouting slogans, demanding to raise the issue. Amid the ruckus, speaker P Dhanpal ordered eviction of party’s working president and leader of the opposition MK Stalin, rejecting the DMK’s demand.
Stalin sat on a dharna outside the main road opposite Fort St George that houses the secretariat and assembly complex, soon after marshals evicted him from the house. Later, Stalin was picked up by the police and taken to the nearest police station.
The impromptu demonstration blocked traffic on the busy main road of the city as all the DMK MLAs trooped out of the assembly to join their leader on the street. The Congress and Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) legislators also staged a walkout and joined Stalin.
The speaker disallowed the discussion on the subject, saying he could not act on matters that were reported in media and shown on television.