The Tamil Nadu Assembly today witnessed a war of words between DMK members and the treasury benches after Environment Minister Thoppu N D Venkatachalam made a remark and later an accusation about the previous regime.
Venkatachalam referred to the previous DMK government as a "minority regime" twice, referring to the Karunanidhi-led party's numerical strength in the previous House. It functioned with support of allies, including Congress as it did not have a majority on its own.
The minister's remark, on both occasions, was contested by DMK members, led by their floor leader M K Stalin, who wanted to know why such a remark was being made repeatedly.
While replying to a calling attention motion moved by members, including rebel DMDK legislator S Michael Rayappan, the minister made the remark and later slammed the previous regime over the issue of its handling of pollution in River Noyyal.
He alleged that during the previous regime, action was not taken against pollutors and that "the Pollution Control Board did not function as it was supposed to and worked as a money (control) board."
Taking strong objection to this, DMK members went near the chair and demanded that the words be expunged.
AIADMK member and former municipal administration minister K P Munusamy said there was nothing wrong in what Venkatachalam uttered as he had pointed out that action was being taken now and it was not done before.
However, the DMK members continued to press for their demand and Stalin demanded that the minister prove the charge.
"If the charge is going to be proved, let it be on the records, else it should be expunged," he said.
Venkatachalam claimed pollution has been brought down drastically now in Noyyal river and cited 'total dissolved solids' statistics to substantiate his charge of "inaction" during the previous regime.
Speaker P Dhanapal, however, said both the accusation and the denial were there on record. When DMK persisted, he said he would look into the records. The unsatisfied DMK members later staged a walk-out.
"Tamil Nadu government does not accord sanction for industries harming the environment and action is also being tken against those industries that pollute," the minister said.
Earlier, Stalin said his party had given 24 Calling Attention notices and wanted it to be taken up.
