Chennai: Members of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) staged a walkout from the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly on Monday, alleging that they were not allowed to raise public issues during Zero Hour.
AIADMK General Secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami said the opposition was denied an opportunity to speak despite repeated requests.
“In the Zero Hour today, the Speaker did not allow us to speak. So we have walked out. We are not given a chance to speak inside the Assembly. We asked the Speaker to give us a chance to speak on issues concerning the public. We were denied that opportunity,” Palaniswami said.
The protest came amid growing demands from several parties for a discussion on the ammonia gas leak incident at a seafood processing unit in Tiruvallur district.
Members of the DMK and the Communist Party of India (Marxist) also urged the Speaker to take up the issue for detailed discussion during the ongoing Assembly session and sought accountability for the safety lapse.
The ammonia gas leak has claimed five lives so far, while 67 people remain under treatment and medical observation.
Responding to the demands in the House, Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly Speaker JCD Prabhakar assured members that they would be given an opportunity to discuss the matter.
“On the ammonia gas leak incident at a seafood processing unit, DMK, AIADMK and several other members have demanded a discussion in the Assembly. I will give the opposition members a chance to speak,” he said.
The opposition has been pressing for an urgent debate on the incident, citing concerns over worker safety and the environmental impact in the affected area.
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