AIADMK walks out over Minister's remark

Chennai, May 7 (UNI) Noisy scenes were witnessed in the Tamil Nadu Assembly following a remark made by a Minister on ''majority being ruled by the minority'', culminating in a walkout by the main Opposition AIADMK.

Winding up his reply to the debate on the Demand for Grants for his department, Information and Publicity Minister Parithi Ellamvazuthi, without naming any individual, said the difference between minority and majority could be known by watching the film on rationalist leader ''Periyar''.

In an indirect dig at the AIADMK which had been repeatedly branding the ruling DMK as a minority government, the Minister said 97 per of the majority were being headed by a minority, which constituted only three per cent.

This fuelled instant protests from the AIADMK, whose whip K A Sengottaiyan contended that a Minister, as per the Constitution, should not speak about minority and majority in the House.

Deputy leader of the Opposition O Panneerselvam urged Speaker R Avudaiyappan to expunge the remarks from the Assembly records.

Intervening, Mr Ellamvazhuthi said he did not name any particular individual and that he had only quoted a scene from the film ''Periyar''.

Chipping in, Higher Education Minister K Ponmudy said there was nothing wrong in the remark as Mr Ellamvazuthi had neither mentioned anyone by name nor made any personal remark.

There were shouts and countershouts from both the treasury benches and the opposition and nothing could be heard in the din for a while.

When Mr Panneerselvam insisted with the demand, Electricity Minister Arcot N Veerasamy said the Minister only pointed how Mr Periyar was humiliated.

''Moreover, he (the Minister) had given an explanation that he had not targeted any individual. Once the Minister gave this clarification, it should be accepted as per the House tradition,'' he added.

Mr Avudaiyappan told Mr Panneerselvam that he had misunderstood the remark and that there was nothing personal in it. Dissatisfied with it, Mr Sengottaiyan led his party members out of the House.

Later, he told reporters outside the House that the walk out was in protest against the Speaker not expunging the remarks and not allowing Mr Panneerselvam to clarify his party's stand.

UNI