The no-confidence motion moved by the principal opposition, AIADMK, against Tamil Nadu Assembly Speaker M Appavu was defeated on Monday, with the ruling DMK and its allies holding a majority.
The motion received support from only 63 members, while 154 legislators voted against it. When the motion was taken up for discussion, Speaker Appavu recused himself, and Deputy Speaker K Pitchandi presided over the proceedings.
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Initially, a voice vote was conducted, but following AIADMK’s demand for a division, the Deputy Speaker allowed it. In a significant development, expelled AIADMK members O Panneerselvam and R Vaithilingam voted in favor of the motion.
Speaking on the motion, former Chief Minister and Leader of the Opposition Edappadi K Palaniswami (EPS) accused the Speaker of being biased and listed various grievances, including the alleged denial of adequate opportunities for opposition members to speak.
He lamented that the Speaker often dismissed opposition voices and that interruptions from the treasury benches went unchecked. “Is this democracy?” he questioned.
Intervening in the debate, Chief Minister MK Stalin criticized the AIADMK, stating, “People will laugh at such a motion being moved by those who have lost the confidence of the people.”
He suggested that the motion was an attempt to divert attention from internal dissent within the AIADMK, rather than addressing any genuine concerns about the government or the Speaker’s conduct.
EPS contended that the opposition was being prevented from raising critical public issues. “The Speaker himself is an obstacle to exposing the government’s failures,” he said, questioning whose orders he was following.
He also accused the DMK government of failing to honor its election promise of live telecasting Assembly proceedings.
Highlighting alleged bias, EPS pointed out that while the post of Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee is traditionally reserved for the opposition, it was instead given to K Selva Perunthagai, Tamil Nadu Congress Committee (TNCC) president and a DMK ally.
Additionally, he noted that the AIADMK’s nominee for Deputy Leader of Opposition, RB Udhayakumar, was denied the post for over two years, despite being proposed in 2022.
