AIADMK stages walkout in Puducherry Assembly over Sri Lanka issue

The AIADMK Thursday staged a walkout in the Puducherry Assembly after Speaker V Sabapathy declined permission to table a private member resolution seeking economic sanctions against Sri Lanka.

When Speaker V Sabapathy asked AIADMK`s legislature wing leader A Anbalagan, to speak on the demands for grants to some departments he wanted a clarification whether the House would take up a private member resolution he had given notice of to urge the Centre to announce economic sanctions against Sri Lanka.

"Unless this is clarified I will not go ahead with speaking on the demands," he said.

He also said he was surprised at the Chief Minister N Rangasamy not being present in the House when he was making the plea for a resolution. (The Chief Minister had retired to his chamber a few minutes before Anbalagan rose to speak).

The Speaker told the member that there was no listing of any resolution for adoption or discussion today.

Anbalagan said the Puducherry government was thus making it clear that it was not concerned about the plight of the Tamils in Sri Lanka.It had been the convention that on the last day of every session the Assembly would adopt government or private member resolutions, but this time it was violated, he said.

Protesting against Speaker's refusal to let him to table his resolution for economic sanctions against Sri Lanka, he and three other AIADMK members staged a walkout.

They returned to the House a few minutes later.