EPS wins vote of confidence, DMK violence against Speaker

Chennai: Chief Minister Edappadi Palanisamy comfortably won the vote of confidence in the Tamil Nadu Assembly, shortly after DMK unleashed an orgy of violence against Speaker P Dhanapal, with 122 votes for the motion , and 11 against (cast by the dissident group led by O Panneerselvam).

The DMK tried to cast a shadow on the confidence vote by raising extraneous issues like demand for secret voting which had never taken place in the history of Tamil Nadu legislature. Knowing fully well that this demand would be denied, the DMK MLAs gheraoed the Speaker, stood on his table, hurling unparliamentary abuses at him, removing his table, mike and bell, started misbehaving with him, pulling him in different directions.

The Speaker rejected the demand for secret voting said there was no such procedure in the the Assembly ever. The standard, time-
tested procedure was voice vote, followed by division during which block by block voting would be resorted to. The same process
would be followed now too.   

The Speaker tried to conduct the House but could not, despite two or three adjournments. In the third attempt at 1.30 p.m., when he tried to take up the confidence motion for voting, the DMK members again obstructed him and he was forced to order the eviction of the DMK MLAs in order to conduct the House. Marshals tried to evict the DMK MLAs but struggle as the DMK men resorted to a dharna, and refused to move out of the House.

Finally, the marshalls bodily lifted the DMK MLAs one by one, and removed them from the Assembly. After all 89, DMK MLAs were evicted, the lone IUML member and 8 Congress MLAs walked out of the Assembly to express solidarity with their ally, DMK.

Finally, EPS, the CM, got to move the confidence vote after 3.30 p.m. After the voice vote in his favour, a division was called for .

Block wise voting was then taken up. 122 AIADMK MLAs voted for the motion, and the dissidents numbering 11 voted against, and
there were no abstentions, the Speaker announced.

The Speaker pointed to his shirt and showed that it was torn by the DMK during the acts of hooliganism. He also said the society to
which he belonged (he is a Dalit) had been publicly humiliated and abused by the DMK members.

DMK working president and Opposition Leader had come out of the House, and before addressing the media, showed his shirt and said it was torn during the scuffle with the marshalls. Condemning the use of marshalls to evict the DMK members, he said the Speaker had turned down the genuine demand of the DMK for secret voting since the AIADMK MLAs had been kept in a resort for two weeks and brought to the House for the confidence vote.

Later, the DMK MLAs led by Stalin went to the Marina, and sat near the Gandhi statue to express their protest over the attack on
DMK members by the police. DMK members were arrested citing proihibitory orders. They were released later in the night.

CM EPS and AIADMK deputy gbeneral secretary said justice had prevailed. The govt of MGR and Jayalalithaa had been protected
in the State, they added.

The Assembly secretary later handed over a report on the confidence motion having been carried by CM Edappadi Palanisamy.