Bedlam in TN House, Jaya leads opposition walk out

Chennai, Feb 1 (UNI) Bedlam and Pandemonium prevailed in the Tamil Nadu Assembly, which was adjourned in a rare instance for ten minutes when members of the AIADMK and the Treasury Benches virtually came to blows, before it culminated in a noisy walk out by the Opposition leader J Jayalalithaa demanding the resignation of the DMK government.

Winding up the debate on the motion of thanks to the Governor for his address, Leader of the Opposition J Jayalalithaa, who came to the Assembly, her second visit after the DMK came to power, took up cudgels against the government for its alleged soft stance on the LTTE issue and demanded its dismissal.

The trouble arose when she made some disparaging remarks against leader of the House and Finance Minister K Anbazhagan and PWD Minister Duraimurugan, while speaking on a meeting headed by Chief Minister M Karunanidhi to discuss laws to curb expression of support to the banned LTTE and attended by them.

Ms Jayalalithaa criticised the government for not constituting a committee comprising legal luminaries and instead deciding it with Mr Anbazhagan and Mr Duraimurugan and wanted to know whether they were legal experts.

This led to uproar, with the members of the Opposition and Treasury Benches trooping to the well of the House and menacingly gesticulated at each other.

At one stage, nothing could be heard in the din, as ministers and the Opposition members were seen angrily exchanging words near Speaker R Avudaiyappan's podium.

Amid shouts and counter shouts, it was a free for all and the members nearly came to blows. The Speaker's repeated plea to the ministers and the Opposition members to return to their seats, went in vain.

As the situation seemed to go out of control, the Speaker, in a rare instance, adjourned the House for ten minutes to defuse the situation.

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