CHENNAI: The denial of entry to a dhoti-clad judge to the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA) Club at Chepauk last week rocked the Tamil Nadu assembly on Monday, with opposition parties demanding that the government intervene and take appropriate legal action against the club for the "injustice".The 'Tamil pride' card was raised in the House with DMK , DMDK, Congress , Left parties and PMK lending their voice to the chorus for action against the club. Reacting to the demand, school education and Tamil development minister K C Veeramani said the government would consult legal experts and take action after getting necessary instructions from chief minister J Jayalalithaa . "The clubs come under the Societies Act and have separate bylaws for day-to-day functioning,” he said.When the question hour ended, leaders demanded that speaker P Dhanapal take up the 'call attention motion' to draw the government's attention to the issue.Former deputy chief minister M K Stalin said several clubs followed similar practices in the city and the government should immediately intervene and "uphold Tamil culture". "Dhoti-clad Tamils had made significant contributions in sending out colonial rulers 67 years ago. Today, not only TNCA club, even other clubs in Chennai, including Madras Gymkhana Club, MCC and Boat Club , do not allow dhoti-clad persons to enter," he said. The DMK leader reminded the House of the 'Veshti Day' observed by the state-run Co-optex every year to promote the traditional Tamil attire. Justice D Hariparanthaman of the Madras high court, along with senior advocates R Gandhi and G R Swaminathan, visited the cricket club as they were invited to participate in a function organised to release the book, 'Legal Fraternity Embraced Me', authored by former acting chief justice of Madras high court justice T S Arunachalam. But they were denied entry as they were wearing dhotis.CPM floor leader A Soundararajan said the incident was an onslaught on Tamil culture. The dress code was introduced in these clubs to differentiate between the then White Town and Black Town. "It is a shame that it is still in vogue. The state should bring in a new legislation if the club does not relax its rules," he said. CPI leader M Arumugam pointed out that dhoti was worn by leaders like E V Ramasamy, C N Annadurai and Jeeva even during their visits to foreign countriesCongress MLA C R Gopinath wondered how the club could deny entry to a person wearing dhoti when majority of the public representatives wore dhoti to the elected bodies. Leaders of DMDK, PMK, Kongu Ilaignar Peravai, Forward Bloc and All India Samathuva Makkal Katchi also sought action. There was, however, a lighter moment when the House broke into peals of laughter as PMK MLA Ganesh Kumar, who came clad in black trousers, minced no words in accusing the club of degrading the Tamil culture and tradition.Reacting to the controversy, TNCA Club member Vijay Anand said: "It's a sports club and we look to instill a sense of discipline among the members. The dress code is part of that and rules have to be complied with." When asked whether the club would review the dress code, Anand, who is a member of the TNCA legal committee, said: "There is a possibility of an extra-ordinary general meeting to discuss the issue, but we haven't yet got any official intimation about it."In most city clubs, trousers, collared shirts and shoes are the norm for men. However, some of them don't turn away those who wear veshtis. "Our rules are simple," says Md Javeed Ghatala, a member of Madras Race Club management committee. "The attire must be decent and acceptable in society. We do not allow lungis though because they are too casual, just as we do not allow round-neck T shirts." The growing outrage against the incident has prompted a few city clubs to review their rules regarding attire.