Appavu Is Soft Spoken But Strict: Cm Stalin

Chennai:Assembly Speaker M Appavu was both congenial and strict as both the traits were essential to conduct the proceedings of the House with discipline and dignity, Chief Minister M K Stalin said while speaking on the no- confidence motion moved by the AIADMK seeking the removal of Appavu from the Speaker’s post alleging partiality.

The resolution was defeated, 154 for 63, in a division of votes after a debate that saw Stalin praising Appavu as one who believed in democracy and as one who had affection and concern for opposition party members and rejecting the charges made in the resolution as unacceptable.

If one were to compare Appavu’s style of functioning with that of some of the previous Speakers of the House in the earlier regime, everyone would accept that he was more amenable and impartial, Stalin said and added that the resolution was moved by some AIADMK members citing reasons that were far from truth making it imperative for him and other ruling members to prove Appavu’s innocence.

The Chief Minister recalled some incidents inside the Assembly during the AIADMK regime to drive home the point that previous Speakers had been unfair in conducting the business of the House and a few recent events to prove Appavu’s fair play and integrity.

Letting outsiders to debate on the speculations that the resolution was moved as there was a dearth of reasons to point fingers at the DMK government and because there was a need to divert the attention from the confusion that had risen within the ranks of the opposition party, Stalin said leaders of the opposition party would be paying encomiums to Appavu in their hearts even if they could not do it openly.

Leader of the Opposition Edappadi K Palaniswami, however, accused Appavu of stifling the voice of AIADMK in the House and also blacking out the opposition members in the telecast of the proceedings when they asked important questions and particularly when they turned up wearing black shirts.

The Speaker, as per tradition, was led to his Chair by the Chief Minister and the Leader of the Opposition because he was considered to be common to both the sides, Palaniswami said, adding that Appavu never lived up to that tradition and was openly supporting the ruling party.

Another specific complaint that he hurled against Appavu was on his penchant to not allow the members of the opposition to extract answers for the questions they raised against Ministers with he himself giving replies to their queries.

He said that Appavu never heeded to the opposition demand for long Assembly sessions at the Business Advisory Committee meetings and truncated them as per the wishes of the ruling party and when the AIADMK elected R B Udhayakumar as the deputy Leader of the Opposition in 2022, it took two years for the Speaker to accept it and make necessary changes in seating in the House.

Appavu, who returned to his Chair after the no-confidence motion against him was defeated with Deputy Speaker K Pichandi presiding over the proceedings, said that he had given 12 hours and 26 minutes for the members of the opposition to speak during the debate on the Governor’s address while the ruling party members were given only six hours and 33 minutes.

He also recalled old times the proceedings of the House had been carried out in haste with numerous demands for grants passed on a single day and denied charges of impartiality against opposition members.

Former Chief Minister and ousted AIADMK general secretary O Panneerselvam and AIADMK leader K A Sengottaiyan, who is suspected to be protesting against the party and resenting the leadership of Palaniswami, supported the resolution against the Speaker, moved by AIADMK floor leader Udhayakumar.� � � �