Having fought the 2011 Assembly polls shoulder-to-shoulder but drifting apart before the local bodies’ polls, the ruling AIADMK and DMDK have finally chosen to part ways. An acrimonious debate in the state Assembly on Wednesday, which left the Opposition DMK amused, saw the other parties being left dazed.
Fiery verbal exchanges between chief minister J. Jayalalithaa and DMDK’s Vijayakanth, who is the Opposition leader in the House, culminated in en masse eviction of the actor-politician and his legislators from the Assembly. The trouble began when DMDK’s legislator V.C. Chandrakumar persistently raked up the hike in milk price and bus fares despite repeated explanations being tendered by the treasury benches that the hike was inevitable.
The ruling party members were further irked by remarks that the AIADMK should have faced the civic body elections after effecting the price hike. Intervening, finance minister O. Panneerselvam reminded everyone that it was because of the chief minister that the DMDK was able to open its innings in the Assembly.
Meanwhile, Ms Jayalalithaa said she regretted having entered into an electoral alliance with the actor-politician’s DMDK for the polls. She further revealed that she was never inclined for poll ties with the DMDK but in order to satisfy her party cadres, she had given the party 41 seats to contest.
“I feel ashamed and regret that the AIADMK had faced the polls with unqualified persons who don’t even know how to behave after reaching the top position,” she said referring to Mr Vijayakanth’s “unruly behaviour” in the Assembly.
However, hours after being evicted from the Assembly, Mr Vijayakanth told party MLAs they were free to raise issues concerning the people on the floor of the House.