AIADMK walks out of T.N. Assembly after Speaker denies permission to raise a ‘law and order’ issue

AIADMK legislators walked out of the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly on Friday (April 4, 2025) after Speaker M. Appavu denied permission to Leader of the Opposition Edappadi K. Palaniswami to raise a “law and order issue.”

AIADMK legislators walked out of the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly on Friday (April 4, 2025) after Speaker M. Appavu denied permission to Leader of the Opposition Edappadi K. Palaniswami to raise a “law and order issue.”

During the Zero Hour, when Mr. Palaniswami sought to raise the issue, Mr. Appavu denied permission to him, stating the notice given by the Deputy Leader of the Opposition, R.B. Udayakumar, to raise the same matter had been rejected. “When the notice was already rejected, the issue cannot be discussed in the Assembly,” the Speaker said. Opposing Mr. Appavu’s decision, the AIADMK legislators staged a walkout from the Assembly.

Addressing journalists outside the Assembly, Mr. Palaniswami referred to the March 24 incident, in which a group of persons ransacked the house of YouTuber ‘Savukku’ Shankar and dumped sewage and waste on the floor. He said: “This is an important law and order issue. Despite giving notice 10 days ago to move a Calling Attention Motion, the Speaker rejected it. The Assembly is the forum where issues faced by the people should be discussed. However, the Speaker has denied permission to raise law and order issues in the State.”

He also alleged the rejection was due to the State government’s failure to take appropriate action in the case. Further, Mr. Palaniswami said when the AIADMK was in power, the Calling Attention Motions moved by the then Opposition party, the DMK, were taken up and discussed.

“In the run-up to the 2021 Assembly elections, the DMK promised to hold Assembly sessions for at least 100 days a year, but has failed to fulfil that promise,” he said.

Regarding the upcoming meeting of legislature party leaders, convened by the Chief Minister on April 9, 2025, to discuss the next course action regarding the issue of National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET), Mr. Palaniswami charged it is an attempt by the DMK to “deceive people.” When asked whether AIADMK would participate in the meeting, he said the party would take a call on it.