AIADMK party leader Edappadi Palanisamy gestures as he pays his respects at the memorial for former state chief minister Jayalalithaa Jayaram after being sworn in as the Chief Minister of the state of Tamil Nadu in Chennai on February 16, 2017. AFP / ARUN
Chennai: Pandemonium reigned in the Tamil Nadu assembly on Saturday with opposition parties demanding secret ballot to decide the fate of Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami who proposed a confidence motion.
Soon after the assembly began, Palaniswami moved the motion, which was followed by heated arguments started by Leader of Opposition M.K. Stalin urging Speaker P. Dhanapal to allow secret ballot.
The Speaker said that legislators could not interfere with his powers.
He also questioned the need for urgency in seeking a confidence vote when Governor C. Vidyasagar Rao gave 15 days time.
As the lawmakers supporting Chief Minister Palaniswami remained silent, the DMK legislators surrounded Dhanapal shouting slogans.
They also tore the assembly agenda papers and threw some chairs around.
As the ruckus continued, Dhanapal went to his room, adjourning the house till 1 p.m.
Former Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam also demanded secret ballot.
