Opposition parties, including DMK, DMDK, Congress and Left, walked out of the Tamil Nadu assembly on Tuesday as they were denied permission to speak on issues of “public importance.”
DMK alleged that the AIADMK government had no locus standi to present the budget when the debt burden remained at Rs 2.11 lakh crore during the current fiscal.
When Speaker P Dhanapal called out Finance minister O Panneerselvam to present the interim budget for the fiscal year 2016-17, the opposition members stood on their feet to raise issues.
Puthiya Tamilagam leader S Krishnasamy was warned when he displayed a placard with messages against the Speaker. When their repeated attempts to draw the attention of the Chair ended in vain, the members walked out of the assembly.
DMK leader M K Stalin said the debt burden had doubled since 2011, the year the AIADMK government assumed charge. “The overall debt remains 234.98% higher than that was in the previous DMK regime. AIADMK’s interim budget last year is not going to benefit the people of Tamil Nadu, but we were not allowed to raise the issue,” Stalin said, questioning the fiscal status of the administration.
“The administrative machinery remains broken down, management is disintegrated and the state is all set to go bankrupt,” the DMK leader said.
Pointing to the projected fiscal deficit of Rs 36,740 crore for the year 2016-17, DMDK whip V C Chandirakumar criticised the “efficiency” of the AIADMK government. “The administration looks paralyzed. Let the chief minister vacate her seat and take care of her party affairs,” he said.
Accusing the chief minister of launching various programmes through video-conferencing in the run-up to the polls, the DMDK leader said the programmes remained mere announcements. “Amma Call Centre remain inaccessible and could not resolve even sewer block complaints,” he said.
Left party leaders alleged that they were denied permission to raise issues such as Athikadavu-Avinashi Groundwater Recharge Scheme, for which protests were being held in Coimbatore, Tirupur and Coimbatore districts.
The project that was conceputalised 50 years ago could not be materialized for want of support from the government, CPM leader A Soundararajan said. The leaders also pointed to the demonstrations by various sections, including government employees, farmers and teachers, and government remaining passive to their demands.