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Key Highlights Sources said the minister had left the assembly to welcome chief minister Jayalalithaa as she entered the secretariat

It is customary for ministers whose departmental demands are being debated in assembly, to welcome the CM with a bouquet

CHENNAI: Two ministers hogged the limelight in the Tamil Nadu assembly on Friday in their efforts to show respect to chief minister Jayalalithaa.

Minister for municipal administration S P Velumani put speaker P Dhanapal in a fix as he left the assembly mid-way, after moving one of the three demands listed for the day. The assembly took up demands for three departments which are under Velumani. After the demands for municipal administration and water supply department had been moved, Dhanapal was reading the names of MLAs who have moved cut motions. Soon after this, Dhanapal expected Velumani to move the demands for rural development and panchayati raj but the minister was missing.

While other ministers were at a loss looking at each other, the assembly secretary was busy. DMK MLAs were watching the struggle and some back benchers from the opposition even offered to move the demands. But before the situation went out of hand, the minister came running and moved the rest of the demands gasping for breath. Sources said the minister had left the assembly to welcome chief minister Jayalalithaa as she entered the secretariat. It is customary for ministers whose departmental demands are being debated in assembly, to welcome the CM with a bouquet. Dhanapal in a bid to show the assembly that he has managed the situation told the opposition that he was collecting the papers for the next agenda, leaving the opposition smiling.

After the CM read out a statement under Rule 110, R Kamaraj (food) and Sellur K Raju(cooperation) praised the CM. However, agriculture minister Duraikannu went a step further and burst into the party song, 'Thangatharagaiye varuga varugave' (welcome to a golden star) even as AIADMK MLAs began to tap the benches as though giving background music. Duraikannu then went to the chief minister's seat in the assembly and fell at her feet, which the CM acknowledged.

