DMK attends TN assembly session after 3-day protest over Thoothukudi firing

The party is expected to raise several issues including the Thoothukkudi police firing, water shortage and delay in local body elections

After staying away from the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly session last week seeking a stronger decision from the state government on Sterlite Copper smelting plant, the main opposition party Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) finally attended the Assembly session on Monday. The party is expected to raise the issue of police firing in Thoothukudi in the Assembly.

The DMK has previously also raised the demand that the cabinet should meet and decide on the closure of Vedanta's smelting plant in Thoothukkudi, that witnessed a massive anti-Sterlite protest by locals and non-governmental organisations. Police firing two weeks back in order to quell the agitation, left at least 13 people dead. 

Later, the State government immediately issued a Government Order and sealed the factory. The opposition argues that the government order would not be a strong tool to shut down the factory and the cabinet should meet and take a decision to 'permanently' close it. 

The government did not heed the demand and D Jayakumar, Minister for Fisheries, said the opposition should know that the GO cannot be published without the decision of the cabinet. He said the opposition was raising frivoulous arguments. Consequently, the opposition decided to stay away from the Assembly proceedings. DMK Working President M K Stalin also sought Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami's resignation and called upon him to take responsibility for the firing.

DMK ally Congress on Friday requested the ruling party and Speaker to talk to DMK leaders and bring them back to the Assembly. 

Palaniswami, reiterating the government's stand said that it would do all it could legally to shut down the factory once and for all, said nobody was restricting the DMK from attending the Assembly.

On Sunday, when the party celebrated the 95th birthday of its President M Karunanidhi, M K Stalin announced that its members will attend the Assembly session on Monday. 

"Since it is necessary to speak for the people of Tamil Nadu in a peaceful way, especially in the difficult situation after the Thoothukudi firing, we are attending the Assembly session with a renewed confidence," he said.

The DMK members reached the Assembly on Monday morning and would be participating in the debates. The party members are expected to raise topics including the Thoothukkudi police firing, water shortage issues and the delay in conducting local body elections, according to reports.

DMK has 89 members in the assembly, in the 234 assembly seats. DMK's ally- Congress has already started attending the session last week, stating that it has to execute the duties in the Assembly.