NE NEWS SERVICE
CHENNAI, FEB 18
The principal opposition party, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam on Tuesday sought to raise an issue of breach of privilege in the Legislative Assembly against Minister for Tamil Official Language Ma Foi K. Pandiarajan over a statement made by him in the House last month. But, after the Minister’s reply, Speaker P. Dhanapal concluded that there was no breach of privilege in the issue.
Soon after the Question Hour, the Speaker called upon DMK legislator Thangam Thennarasu representing Thiruchuli constituency in Virudhunagar, who had sought to raise an issue of Assembly privilege in the House against Mr. Pandiarajan.
Thennarasu said on January 8, the Minister had told the House that granting of dual citizenship for Sri Lankan Tamils living in Tamil Nadu was possible, whereas the Union Home Minister had maintained in the Parliament that was it not possible. The DMK legislator charged that the Tamil Minister intentionally diverted the issue and misled the House by making a statement that was not true. Hence he urged the Speaker to take appropriate action against the Minister.
In his reply, Pandiarajan recalled the representation of then Chief Minister Jayalalithaa to the Centre seeking dual citizenship to Sri Lankan Tamils, contending only such an arrangement would help ensure that Sri Lankan Tamils had the possibility of claiming their property should they return to the Island.
Pandiarajan also claimed that there were multiple interpretations of dual citizenship and that there was a possibility of Sri Lankan Tamils getting citizenship back home and also get Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) status in India. The Minister also pointed out that there was a difference between repatriates and refugees.
Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami too had urged the Union Home Minister to grant dual citizenship for Sri Lankan Tamils, Pandiarajan recalled and went on to point out that former Chief Minister of Sri Lanka’s Northern Province Justice C.V. Wigneswaran and researcher Ilamparithi were supportive of the AIADMK government’s call for dual citizenship for Sri Lankan Tamils living in India.
After the Minister’s reply, the Speaker concluded that there was no breach of privilege in the issue. Objecting to the Speaker’s decision, DMK members led by their Deputy Floor Leader Duraimurugan staged a walk out. Later, they returned to the House and took part in the assembly proceedings.
