Published Sep 08, 2026 | 12:30 PM ⚊ Updated Sep 08, 2026 | 12:30 PM
DMK demanded that the portions of the Chief Minister's speech referring to the ED and the previous DMK government be removed from the records.
Synopsis: DMK members staged a walkout from the Tamil Nadu Assembly on the final day of the 2026-27 Budget Session on Tuesday, demanding that portions of Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay’s remarks on the Enforcement Directorate and alleged corruption under the previous DMK regime be expunged from the records.
The Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly witnessed uproarious scenes on Tuesday, 8 September, as Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) members protested Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay’s references to the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and corruption during his reply to the demands for grants a day earlier.
As the protest continued, Speaker JCD Prabhakaran ordered marshals to evict DMK members from the House on the final day of the Budget Session. During the Zero Hour, DMK members wanted Vijay’s “false” statements on the ED, corruption during the previous regime, and the Sarkaria Commission expunged from Assembly records and sought an opportunity to reply to the chief minister.
The protest followed the Chief Minister’s reply during the discussion on the Police Department’s demand for grants and other departments. During his speech, Vijay referred to letters allegedly written by the ED to the previous DMK government and cited them while speaking about alleged corruption during the earlier regime. He also referred to the Sarkaria Commission report.
During the protest, both Vijay and Leader of the Opposition Udhayanidhi Stalin were absent from the Assembly.
DMK senior leader and former minister KN Nehru said the party had sought permission from Speaker Prabhakaran to respond to the chief minister’s remarks. They demanded that what they described as “false” statements be removed from the Assembly records.
Nehru alleged that the Chief Minister had not responded to questions raised by Opposition members during the discussion on the Police Department’s demands.
“He deliberately spoke for nearly an hour in a cinematic manner with the intention of humiliating the DMK and made false statements,” Nehru said.
According to Nehru, the DMK members had asked the Speaker to allow them to respond to the remarks, but permission was denied.
“He spoke about old cases, the MISA and the ED, but the Speaker did not allow us to respond to them,” Nehru said.
Also Read: Udhayanidhi hits back at Vijay’s speech, accuses Speaker of bias
On Tuesday, DMK members again raised the issue in the House and demanded that the portions of the chief minister’s speech referring to the ED and the previous DMK government be removed from the records.
As the protest continued, the Speaker ordered the eviction of the protesting DMK members from the House.
The DMK subsequently staged a walkout, marking a fresh confrontation between the ruling side and the Opposition on the concluding day of the Budget Session.
DMK Deputy Floor Leader EV Velu alleged that the Chief Minister had failed to address issues concerning law and order while replying to the demands for grants.
“We expected the Chief Minister to respond to the several murders that have taken place in Tamil Nadu. Instead, he spoke for nearly 27 minutes on other issues, which we listened to patiently,” Velu said.
Citing Assembly Rule 92, Velu claimed that matters relating to cases pending before courts should not be discussed in the legislature. He questioned the Chief Minister’s references to the Enforcement Directorate and alleged that he had read out material relating to a case pending before the court.
Velu also criticised Vijay’s references to MISA, saying the Chief Minister had “demeaned the sacrifices” of those who were detained during the Emergency-era period. He further objected to the Chief Minister’s remarks concerning former DMK leaders and the Sarkaria Commission.
The DMK leader alleged that the Speaker had adopted an “authoritarian approach” despite appearing neutral.
