Moving a resolution, Speaker P Dhanapal announced that V C Chandrakumar, K Nallathambi, D Murugesan, S Senthil Kumar, B Parthasarathy, and R Arulselvan were being suspended for allegedly assaulting C Michael Rayappan, one of the four MLAs from the Vijayakanth-led party to have called on chief minister J Jayalalithaa last year. During the suspension period, the DMDK MLAs will not be entitled to salaries and perks.
Condemning the action, DMDK chief Vijayakanth announced that his party would launch a state-wide agitation on March 30. The decision also had an echo in the districts with DMDK cadres staging protests and courting arrests. Vijayakanth said, "The act is not only against the law, but, it is also anti-democratic". It was not unusual for members to get into heated arguments during assembly proceedings, he said.
"It is also not unusual for members, who indulge in such activities in the House, to be pardoned or suspended for a few days," the DMDK leader said, adding, "Such a lengthy suspension is rare." Alleging that during the incident, even members of the ruling AIADMK were involved, Vijayakanth wondered why action was taken only against the DMDK members. Vijayakanth also alleged his MLAs were not called for an inquiry by the rights committee.
"The one-year punishment is too harsh. How can people lose representatives of their constituencies for one year?" he said. Expressing similar views that suspending members for such a long period was against democratic norms, members of the DMK, Congress and CPM opposed the resolution and staged a walk-out from the House.
The alleged attack on Rayappan took place in the presence of Jayalalithaa on February 8 this year during a assembly session. Speaking on the debate, rebel DMDK MLA K Tamil Azhagan, representing Thittakudi, gushed that he got "a new identity" after meeting the AIADMK supremo for seeking projects for his constituency. He also profusely praised the CM for implementing various welfare measures and said he had begun to command the respect of the people of his constituency.
When Tamil Azhagan appealed to the other DMDK MLAs to follow suit, it triggered angry protests from them and resulted in their jumping out of their seats and trying to attack him. Rayappan, who tried to prevent them from attacking Tamil Azhagan, was assaulted in the process. The Speaker ordered the eviction of the DMDK MLAs and referred the issue to the privileges committee for necessary action.
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