CHENNAI: The Assembly on Monday rejected the resolution, seeking the removal of the Speaker R. Avudaiappan from his office.

While the Opposition All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and its ally Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam spoke in favour of the motion, the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and its allies, Congress, Pattali Makkal Katchi, Communist Party of India, CPI (Marxist) and the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi were against the motion and expressed their confidence in the Speaker. The motion was defeated by a voice vote.

After permitting for the motion to be taken up, Mr.Avudaiappan called the Deputy Speaker V.P. Duraisamy to chair the meet and adjourned to his chamber.

Mr. Panneerselvam, who moved the motion, said the Speaker was functioning in a partisan and autocratic manner. In Parliament, there was no tradition of evicting a member from the House. In the event of the Opposition rushing to the well of the Houses in Parliament and it not allowing either House to function, the presiding officers merely adjourned the House and did not order eviction of the agitated members. The Speaker was a servant of the House and not its master, he said.

Mr. Duraisamy objected to this remark and ordered it expunged. But, Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi requested that it find a place in the records so that future generations would learn how Speakers were viewed. Mr. Duraiwamy acceded to the request.

The Leader of the House and Finance Minister K. Anbazhagan explained how the Speaker was fair to the Opposition. In the last one year, AIADMK members were allowed to speak about 12 hours more than those of the DMK.

Contending that democracy was not a one-way traffic, he said, "Democracy flourishes only when the Opposition is respected."

Insisting that his party had been adhering to democratic norms and giving the AIADMK its due respect, Mr Anbazhagan said that during the previous AIADMK regime, no respect was shown to the DMK. He added that only when the Opposition cooperated with the Speaker, could the latter conduct the House smoothly.

After the motion was rejected, the Speaker entered the Assembly hall amid thumping of desks by the treasury benches and the Opposition staged a walkout.

Mr Auvadaiappan said that in the last one year, the AIADMK brought the no-confidence motion twice against him out of political motives.

He thanked the Chief Minister and Mr. Anbazhagan for reposing faith in him.

He recalled that when he became the Speaker in May last, Mr. Karunanidhi advised him to help everyone so that the world knew that Tamil Nadu was a garden of democracy.

Mr. Avudaippan said he had been acting in an impartial and neutral manner.

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