Amid noisy scenes, DMK members on Wednesday were evicted enmasse from the Tamil Nadu Assembly after they protested certain remarks by a ruling AIADMK legislator against the party.
Trouble started when Vilathikulam MLA G V Markandayan during a debate on the interim budget made some remarks about DMK and in particular about its Treasurer M K Stalin's son-in- law Sabareesan, which infuriated the party members.
Stalin, DMK's Legislative Party leader, immediately sought the removal of the remarks but Speaker P Dhanapal said he will go through the records and take action.
Stalin also made some remarks which triggered angry and noisy response from the Treasury benches and the Speaker expunged them.
As the party's demand for expunging the remarks made by Markandayan was not accepted, DMK members were locked in a heated debate with the Speaker, who strongly objected to their conduct.
Dhanapal repeatedly insisted that he will take action on their demand after going through the records but DMK MLAs did not budge and remained standing even as some of them were having animated arguments with the ruling legislators.
With the Speaker's repeated plea for maintaining decorum failing, he summoned the marshals and ordered the eviction of the DMK members. As some of them immediately squatted before him, they were forcibly removed.
The agitating MLAs also raised slogans against the Speaker.
Later, Dhanapal said he had to take action against the DMK MLAs as they had repeatedly disrupted the proceedings, besides not heeding his request for smooth functioning of the House.
The Speaker particularly reprimanded DMK's J Anbazhagan, saying he spoke and behaved with him in a "disrespectful" manner.
Leader of the House Finance Minister O Paneerselvam also earlier tried to pacify the angry DMK members, referring to the Speaker's stand that he will take action on the matter after going through assembly records.
He and his senior colleagues, Ministers for Electricity and Housing, Natham R Viswanathan and R Vaithilingam, respectively, were seen in a huddle near the Speaker's chair during the incident when the DMK MLAs stood steadfast near the Chair.