Chennai, Dec 27 (IANS) Noting that placing a time limit on speeches by chief ministers is normal practice, DMK president M. Karunanidhi Thursday said Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa “acted differently” by walking out of the NDC meeting in New Delhi on not being allowed to deliver her full speech.
As a bell rang after she spoke for 10 minutes, a miffed Jayalalithaa walked out of the National Development Council (NDC) meet in New Delhi, accusing the central government of humiliating her.
Speaking to reporters here, Karunanidhi said: “I have attended several NDC and chief ministers’ conferences. At those meetings, the chief ministers would print their speeches as booklet and lay it on the table. They will deliver their speech till their allotted time and request the remaining part of their speech to be taken on record.”
“I have seen this practice being followed in New Delhi for five times as a chief minister. She (Jayalalithaa) has acted differently,” he said.
Jayalalithaa was allowed to speak out of turn as she wanted to return to Chennai and she was informed about the time limit like all other chief ministers, Karunanidhi said.
He said chief ministers need not immediately cut short their speech on hearing the bell, and can continue for five more minutes. There have been chief ministers who have continued even for ten minutes, he noted.
The normal practice after asking that the remaining part of the speech be placed on record is to release a copy of the speech to media, he said.
He said if the Tamil Nadu government was humiliated then the action should be condemned, but one should know what actually transpired in New Delhi.
