Tirunelveli: Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly Speaker JCD Prabhakar has said he will not “bow down to any piece of paper”, asserting that decisions on running the House and allowing members to speak are his alone.
In an interview, Prabhakar said his primary duty as Speaker is to protect the dignity of MLAs, guided by his conscience. Referring to the Chief Minister’s reply in the House, he said the conduct of DMK MLAs from the first to the last minute was visible to everyone as proceedings were live-streamed.
He alleged that during the live telecast, DMK members stood holding banners and posters, which he said was against Assembly rules. He said he did not raise the issue or take action at that moment, but felt they were attempting to prevent the Chief Minister’s speech from reaching the public. Prabhakar added that he would have allowed interventions such as points of order if members had listened calmly and then sought permission.
Prabhakar said that the next day he permitted DMK MLA E.V. Velu to give a detailed explanation during Zero Hour, after which the Public Works and Law Ministers responded. He said despite repeated requests to sit down and maintain order, members continued to shout and move towards the Speaker’s chair, making it difficult to conduct proceedings.
He said he again offered Velu time to speak and also suggested that the whip or Nehru could speak, but they did not. Emphasising neutrality, he said DMK and AIADMK members were allotted substantial time to speak. On the “chit” remark, he said if he needs clarifications, he seeks notes from the Assembly Secretariat, and that a slip was provided only to help identify dates and details from records—not to direct his decisions.
