Congress legislators continue 'dharna', spend night in Rajasthan Assembly
Jaipur (PTI): Congress legislators continued their sit-in protest inside the Assembly and spent the night there against the suspension of six party MLAs, including Govind Singh Dotasra, following a protest in the House on Friday against a minister's remarks on former prime minister India Gandhi.
Leader of Opposition Tikaram Jully said that three ministers held talks with the senior MLAs last night but it remained inconclusive and the 'dharna' continued.
"We demand that the minister withdraw his remark. There have been precedents that words have been expunged but the government itself does not want to run the House, and therefore, the issue has been created," Jully told reporters on Saturday.
He said that the party MLAs have been holding the 'dharna' in the House after the Speaker adjourned it on Friday after suspending six MLAs.
During the Question Hour on Friday, Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Avinash Gehlot pointed to the opposition and said, "In the 2023-24 budget also, like always, you named the scheme (on working women's hostels) after your 'Dadi' (grandmother) Indira Gandhi."
The remark led to a heavy uproar in the House, which led to three adjournments.
Government chief whip Jogeshwar Garg moved a proposal to suspend Congress MLAs Govind Singh Dotasara, Ramkesh Meena, Amin Kagzi, Jakir Hussain, Hakam Ali and Sanjay Kumar, which was passed by voice vote.
After the proposal to suspend the six MLAs was passed, the Speaker adjourned the House till 11 am on Monday. Following the adjournment, the Congress MLAs started their sit-in in the House and spent the night there.
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TN Assembly elections: Eight-month pregnant homemaker wins Thiru Vi Ka Nagar seat for TVK
Chennai (PTI): Before giving birth, she had already delivered a mandate—a symbol of hope for Thiru Vi Ka Nagar.
Echoing Delhi’s 2013 “common citizen” political churn associated with the rise of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), an eight-month-pregnant homemaker, M R Pallavi, has been elected as an MLA from Chennai’s Thiru Vi Ka Nagar constituency, emerging as one of the notable first-time faces of the Vijay-led TVK in the recently held Tamil Nadu Assembly elections.
In the narrow lanes of Thiru Vi Ka Nagar, a steady stream of media personnel has been making their way to Pallavi’s residence—a scene reminiscent of the result day in Delhi when journalists thronged the modest home of Rakhi Birla, who had won from Mangolpuri on an AAP ticket.
Pallavi, 36, a homemaker educated up to class XII, defeated the DMK candidate K S Ravichandran by a margin of 22,333 votes in the reserved Thiru Vi Ka Nagar Assembly constituency.
Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam emerged as the single largest party by winning 108 seats, while DMK and AIADMK got 59 and 47, respectively.
Pallavi’s victory has drawn attention due to her personal circumstances. She campaigned extensively while eight months pregnant, going door-to-door to reach voters.
According to local accounts, she even fainted once during the campaign but continued her outreach.
She has not spoken to the media following her victory, as doctors have advised her to rest. Her husband, Rajesh, briefly recounted her campaign efforts.
A self-professed admirer of actor-turned-politician Vijay, Pallavi joined TVK soon after its formation and is now among its first-time legislators.
Doctors have advised her to be hospitalised around May 20, as she is expecting her second child. Ahead of that, voters in Thiru Vi Ka Nagar have entrusted her with representing them in the state Assembly.
Political observers say the rise of candidates like Pallavi signals a possible shift in Tamil Nadu’s political landscape, with voters backing a new party and candidates from non-traditional backgrounds.
