DMK to boycott rest of TN Assembly session

Chennai: Opposition DMK on Tuesday decided to boycott rest of the Tamil Nadu Assembly session following "anti-democratic" activities in the floor of the House, saying the party will explain the events before people in a public meeting.

"It has been decided that it would not be proper to attend the rest of the session. To explain to the people the incidents in the Assembly, we have decided to conduct a public meeting in Chennai on August 25 titled 'The Perils of Democracy' in which party chief Kalaignar (Karunanidhi) and others will participate," DMK Legislature Wing leader MK Stalin said.

Similar meetings will be held all over the state, he said at the end of a party meeting presided over by Karunanidhi.

The decision was taken in the wake of 'body language' controversy surrounding former minister and senior party leader Duraimurugan which eventually led to a walkout in the House on Tuesday and ruling AIADMK not obliging its demand for accommodating all DMK MLAs together in the Assembly.

Speaking to reporters, Karunanidhi said the ruling AIADMK was indulging in "anti-democratic activities" and his colleagues were hurt by the incidents in the Assembly.

Stalin alleged that AIADMK was determined to make them leave and accused the ruling party of making unsavoury remarks against his father.

"We were not allowed to talk and all sorts of charges were levelled against us," he read out from a statement in the presence of Karunanidhi at party headquarters Anna Arivalayam.

Despite maintaining restraint, the ruling benches were provoking them to evict them, Stalin charged as he recalled that his party's repeated requests for proper seating arrangements, accommodating all the 23 DMK MLAs in one area, had not been met with favourable response.

This was not the case when the Dravidian party was ruling, he said.

On today's issue involving Duraimurugan, Stalin denied any wrongdoing on the part of the senior leader and said that only AIADMK members had "abused him."

He also recalled Duraimurugan's contention that video records could be verified to confirm the allegation and that Duraimurugan had said he was prepared to quit if they were proved.