Lankan Tamils issue leads to walk outs by Opposition parties

Chennai, Nov 11 (UNI) Three opposition parties, including the AIADMK, today staged a walk out from the Tamil Nadu assembly on the issue of lack of security to AIADMK General Secretary J Jayalalithaa and the Sri Lankan Tamils issue.

Soon after question hour, AIADMK members, led by Deputy Leader of the opposition O Panneerselvam, staged a noisy walk out after Speaker R Avudaiyyappn denied permission to the party to raise the issue of attack on party Supremo J Jayalalithaa's convoy when she visited Pasumpon in Ramanathapuram district to participate in the 'Thevar Jayanthi' on October 30.

Later, members of the Marumalarchi DMK (MDMK), an ally of the AIADMK and Communist Party of India (CPI), walked out from the House, expressing their solidarity with the suffering Tamils in Sri Lanka. They demanded that the state government and the Centre must take immediate steps to protect the Tamils in Lanka.

During Zero Hour, the AIADMK members led Mr Panneerselvam and party whip K A Sengottaiyan, tried to raise the issue of the attack on Ms Jayalalithaa's convoy and when they were denied permission by the Chair, AIADMK members were on their feet, shouting slogans against the state government.

Soon noisy scenes were witnessed in the House as the AIADMK members were shouting slogans against the government on the one side and members of PMK, Congress and CPI on the other.

They were on their feet, demanding that they be allowed to raise the Sri Lankan Tamils issue. For nearly five minutes, nothing could be heard in the din.

Later, talking to newspersons outside the Assembly complex, Mr Panneerselvam and Mr Sengottaiyan said the walk out was to condemn the state government's failure to provide adequate security to Ms Jayalalithaa when she visited Pasumpon.

UNI GV/WS SY RAI1534