Tamil Nadu principal opposition party AIADMK’s attempt to remove their Assembly Speaker M Appavu failed on Monday, March 17, after the ruling DMK and its allies defeated the motion with 91 votes in the House. A total of 154 members opposed the motion, while 63 supported it.
Expelled AIADMK leader O Panneerselvam and senior party leader KA Sengottaiyan voted in favour of the resolution. However, three AIADMK members, including former Speaker P Dhanapal, were absent. Puratchi Bharatham party (PBK) president Poovai Jagan Moorthy backed the resolution. Meanwhile, Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) members were absent from the House. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLAs Vanathi Srinivasan and Saraswathi were taken into preventive custody by Chennai police ahead of a protest against alleged financial irregularities in the Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation (TASMAC), which resulted in their absence during the vote.
The motion, brought under Assembly Rule 68, was moved by AIADMK Deputy Floor Leader RB Udhayakumar. As required, Speaker Appavu handed over the proceedings to Deputy Speaker K Pitchandi while the resolution was debated.
During the debate, Leader of the Opposition (LoP) Edappadi K Palaniswami accused the Speaker of being biased and failing to maintain decorum in the House. He claimed that despite the DMK’s promise to broadcast Assembly proceedings live, the party had failed to do so. He also alleged that AIADMK legislators’ speeches were not adequately covered in the telecast.
Reacting to LoP remarks, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin countered the allegations, stating that the resolution had revisited past Assembly proceedings, during which the previous Speaker had “failed to respect democracy.”
“Everyone, including the Leader of the Opposition, knows about it, and I need not explain it again,” he said. Stalin also pointed out that Appavu had often allowed AIADMK members to speak while asking DMK members to wait, even when they were scheduled to speak that day. “He is running the House without any intervention from me or other Ministers,” Stalin said.
Following the debate, Deputy Speaker Pitchandi called for a voice vote, but the AIADMK leader and former Chief Minister Palaniswami insisted on a division vote. His demand was accepted, and members were counted after the House was divided into six sections. The doors of the Assembly were closed during the division process. The divisional vote resulted in the AIADMK’s resolution defeat and then Appavu resumed the Speaker’s chair.