Today India witnessed disgraceful unruly behaviour by the DMK in the TN assembly. Although many of us might be shocked, there really is no reason to be surprised at such a display of indiscipline since India law-makers have behaved in such manner many times in the past. Here are 5 times our elected representatives shamed our democracy:
1. Today everybody was anticipating a trust vote in Tamil Nadu to see whether Palaniswami would triumph over his opponents and prove his majority or would Pannerselvam somehow manage to stop him from reaching the majority mark. But a completely different event came to the forefront after the opposition DMK members demanded a secret ballot, and in support of their demand raised slogans, manhandled the speaker, tried to climb onto the speaker’s dais, damaged his chair and broke the furniture in the assembly.
An assembly security personnel got injured in the scuffle and had to be taken to the hospital. The house had to be adjourned and after it reconvened at 1 PM the speaker evicted all 88 DMK MLAs, who then refused to move out. It was only at 3 PM when all the DMK MLAs were evicted that the trust vote could take place which Palaniswami comfortably won 122-11.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a2wftsn5cYY?ecver=1]
2. While we are at it, the Tamil Nadu Assembly was also a witness to shameful scene in May 1989. The then opposition leader J Jayalalitha tried to disrupt CM Karunanidhi’s budget speech which resulted in a vicious attack on her where DMK leaders assaulted her by pulling her hair and trying to tear her sari. Jayalalitha had alleged that after covering his mike Karunanidhi heaped vile abuses at her and addressed her in a derogatory manner. On that day she vowed never to return to the assembly until she had finished the DMK off and won the elections. That she did and in 1991 became the CM of the state.
3. On 21st October 1997 the UP assembly was witness to probably one of the most bloodiest scenes ever. Kalyan Singh was sworn in as the UP CM via the support of the BSP. But BSP soon withdrew and Kalyan Singh was asked to prove his majority on 21st October. The fighting started shortly after 12 noon between the Congress and the BSP but the laurels in spearheading the violence went to the BJP. Armed with chairs and microphone stands, BJP MLAs and a few partymen advanced towards the Opposition benches and violence ensued. Mikes were thrown and hurled like spears, fistfights erupted, chairs became a new weapon and every imaginable form of assault was employed.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DVgKehMqnZo?ecver=1]
4. Another shameful incident was perpetrated by the MNS MLAs in the Maharashtra assembly in 2009 when irked by the fact that SP leader Abu Aazmi took his oath in Hindi. MNS MLAs proceeded to assault him and a woman legislator. The allegations of assault against a woman legislator were denied by MNS leader Bala Nandgaonkar. This resulted in four MNS MLAs Shishir Shinde, Ram Kadam, Ramesh Wanzale and Vasant Gite getting suspended for 4 years.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W4MSUAO-ZXA?ecver=1]
5. In 2014 the Lok Sabha was a witness to ugly scenes after anti Telangana MPs went on a rampage to protest against the creation of the separate state of Telangana. The MPs uprooted the mikes, created a ruckus, clashed with other MPs and even used pepper spray. In the aftermath 4 MPs got hospitalized and 16 got suspended from the Lok Sabha. And yes in The Newshour Arnab pounced upon the faulting MPs
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iQWsurWtNFY?ecver=1]
