PMK legislators walk out of Tamil Nadu Assembly; party MLA Venkateshwaran backs Governor Ravi's actions

Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], January 20 (ANI): The MLAs of the Anbumani Ramadoss-led Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) staged a walkout from the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly on Tuesday alleging deterioration in law and order in the State.
They accused the DMK-led government of failing to control crime.
The walkout took place on the first day of the Legislative Assembly this year, which commenced at 9.30 a.m today. PMK MLAs raised concerns over rising incidents of murder, sexual assault and other crimes, claiming that such cases were occurring on a daily basis across Tamil Nadu.
Addressing reporters after the walkout, PMK MLA S P Venkateshwaran of the Anbumani Ramadoss faction extended Pongal and New Year greetings before outlining the party's reasons for the protest. "Law and order in Tamil Nadu has deteriorated drastically. The state government has completely failed to protect the people," he alleged, adding that this failure prompted the PMK legislators to exit the House.
Venkateshwaran also accused the government of encouraging alcoholism by increasing the number of liquor outlets across the state. "Liquor shops are mushrooming at every street corner. We have also staged the walkout to condemn this trend," he said.
The PMK leader further referred to the events surrounding Governor R N Ravi's address to the Assembly. He claimed that members of the ruling party raised slogans while the Governor was addressing the House, following which the Governor left without delivering the customary inaugural speech. When asked whether the Governor's actions were appropriate, Venkateshwaran said, "The Governor's actions were indeed correct."
The developments came amid heightened political tension in the Assembly. Chief Minister M K Stalin later criticised Governor Ravi, accusing him of disrespecting the House by walking out without delivering the address prepared by the elected government. Stalin said the Governor's conduct violated Assembly protocol and undermined democratic norms.
Following the incident, the Chief Minister moved a resolution stating that the Assembly does not accept the Governor's decision to leave without reading the customary speech. The resolution declared that the English version of the Governor's address, already uploaded in the Assembly system, would be treated as having been delivered and recorded in the proceedings.
Governor Ravi's office later issued a statement defending his walkout, alleging that his microphone was repeatedly switched off and that key issues such as atrocities against Dalits and sexual violence were omitted from the speech. The Raj Bhavan also said the National Anthem was not played as demanded by the Governor.
Meanwhile, the principal opposition AIADMK also staged a walkout, echoing concerns over law and order and protesting against the DMK government. (ANI)