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TN speaker to allot time to members a la Parliament

Tamil Nadu Speaker P T R Palanivel Rajan today shocked opposition members in the state assembly by ruling that he would follow Parliament's procedure and allot time to members on the basis of the respective strength of their parties in the House.

The speaker, who first refused to revise his ruling despite strong resentment from leader of the Opposition S Balakrishnan (TMC) and other Opposition members, however, agreed to refer the issue to the business advisory committee on a suggestion by Chief Minister M Karunanidhi.

He said the BAC would meet on April 7 to discuss the matter and take a decision.

Earlier, taken aback by the "ruling", Balakrishnan pointed out that it was necessary for the Opposition to be given more time to raise issues concerning the people and bring them to the government's notice.

Leaders of the Communist Party of India, All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, Pattali Makkal Katchi and the CPI-M also expressed similar views.

The speaker said he had decided to follow Parliament's procedure in allotment of time following complaints from ruling party members that they were not given sufficient time to present their views on the budget and other matters.

As the speaker stuck to his ruling, Karunanidhi suggested that it be referred to the BAC for elaborate discussion before arriving at a decision.

UNI

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