CHENNAI: DMK president and former chief minister M K Stalin has pulled up a few party MLAs, including Rishivandiyam MLA K Karthikeyan, over their performance during the budget session, party sources told TOI.Stalin was reportedly unhappy that some members, including former ministers, used the debates on finance and agriculture budgets to highlight their proximity to influential figures rather than scrutinize the TVK govt’s policies and shortcomings. “The party chief summoned the MLAs on Monday and reprimanded them for speaking unnecessarily instead of highlighting the govt’s failures. He asked what purpose was served by making jokes in the House when the proceedings were being livestreamed and watched by thousands,” a senior DMK leader said.During his speech, Karthikeyan said he had secured the party ticket to contest the previous assembly election because of his proximity to public works minister Aadhav Arjuna, who was earlier associated with the DMK’s election strategy team. “He (Aadhav) was in our party and was very close to me too,” Karthikeyan added.Stalin had picked senior members, including former chief minister O Panneerselvam and former ministers Thangam Thennarasu and M R K Panneerselvam, to participate in the budget debate.The House burst into laughter when M R K Panneerselvam described deputy leader of the opposition K N Nehru as a major farmer who owned 1,000 acres and cattle. Leader of the House K A Sengottaiyan joined in, saying the agriculture minister should not land Nehru in trouble as landholding was subject to a ceiling. Panneerselvam also spoke about party colleague E V Velu’s farming credentials, drawing a smile from chief minister C Joseph Vijay.Former DMK minister S Regupathy, who had also served in the J Jayalalithaa cabinet, reminisced about his days in AIADMK. He said he had long wished to see his friend J C D Prabhakar occupy the speaker’s chair. Prabhakar, an MGR loyalist, was first elected from Villivakkam in 1980. “Stalin made it clear that members should avoid frivolity, stay focused on the subjects under discussion and specifically expose the failures of TVK govt,” a former minister said.
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