Try not to read out written speeches in the Assembly, says T.N. Speaker M. Appavu

With many members of both the treasury and opposition benches reading out written speeches while speaking in the Assembly, Speaker M. Appavu on Saturday appealed to all the members to try not to do that.

With many members of both the treasury and opposition benches reading out written speeches while speaking in the Assembly, Speaker M. Appavu on Saturday appealed to all the members to try not to do that.

He made the remark, intervening former minister and AIADMK MLA K.P. Anbalagan, who was reading out a written speech during the discussion on the demands for the Public Works, Highways, Minor Ports, Information Technology and Digital Services Departments.

Mr. Appavu said when he was an MLA in 1996, the then Speaker P.T.R. Palanivel Rajan would discourage holding a paper while speaking and did not allow anyone to read out written speeches. Stressing that he was not pointing this out as criticism, he said he understood the need for Ministers and other members to have written text of their speeches or notes to ensure that they did not misquote any numbers. Nevertheless, he said the members could try to avoid reading out written speeches.

Leader of the House Duraimurugan recalled an instance in the 1970s when MLA Jothi Venkachalam, who was in the Speaker’s chair, tried to expunge the speech of then Gudiyatham MLA DMK E.K. Duraisamy, an excellent orator from the party, because he was reading out a written speech.

Leader of the opposition Edappadi K. Palaniswami, however, defended reading out speeches by arguing that it was necessary because the time provided to the MLAs was often short. Moreover, he said it did not matter whether a member spoke from written text or not since what mattered was raising issues of public importance in an understandable manner.