Chennai: A day after chief minister C Joseph Vijay mimicked former chief minister M K Stalin’s hand gesture in the assembly, VCK president Thol Thirumavalavan said the conduct was “unbecoming” of the office he holds. CPM and CPI leaders, who are backing the TVK govt, too have criticised Vijay for his gesture and his remark taunting Stalin.Referring to Vijay’s `short story’ during reply to the motion of thanks to the Governor’s address, Thirumavalavan said on Wednesday that it was inappropriate for a chief minister to ridicule a former chief minister for losing an election. Such remarks, he said, should be avoided even on political platforms and were completely unwarranted in the assembly. He appealed to Vijay to preserve the traditions and decorum of the house in future.Thirumavalavan also opposed the reported move to privatise sanitation work in municipal corporations and urged the govt to drop the scheme to give gold ring for newborns in govt hospitals. Instead, utilise the Rs 755 crore funds allotted for the scheme to strengthen healthcare infrastructure in govt hospitals, he said.CPM state secretary P Shanmugam said victory and defeat were temporary in politics and those holding constitutional and political offices should exercise restraint. “The chief minister’s remark and gesture are unacceptable. Those occupying important positions must maintain decorum,” he said.CPI state secretary M VEerapandian said electoral victories and defeats were a normal part of democracy and hence should not be mocked.“Mocking a person who is not present in the House and making remarks such as ‘your father is missing’ is wrong. Equally inappropriate were the Opposition leader’s (Udhayanidhi Stalin) counter-remarks. Both sides must maintain dignity,” he said.However, Speaker J C D Prabhakar defended Vijay’s gesture, stating that it did not constitute a breach of assembly decorum. “Nothing happened in the assembly that had brought down its decorum,’’ Prabhakar told reporters.
