Chennai : A routine inquiry in the Tamil Nadu Assembly took an unexpected turn on Tuesday, transforming into a lighthearted spectacle that left both treasury and opposition benches in fits of laughter. The incident occurred when DMK MLA A.C. Vilwanathan sought a straightforward answer regarding the government’s plans to construct a sports stadium for the Puratchi Thalaivar MGR Government Arts and Science College in Madhanur, located in the Vellore district.
Rather than providing the concise yes or no response expected by the legislator, Higher Education Minister P. Viswanathan delivered an expansive address. Known among his colleagues as “Kavignar”—a nod to his reputation for poetic, repetitive, and elaborate oratory—the minister spent his time detailing the various government and government-aided institutions across the Vellore district, straying far from the specific request regarding the stadium.
A lighthearted moment in the House
As the minister’s speech continued to drift, Speaker J.C.D. Prabhakar intervened, urging him to provide a more precise answer. Despite the Speaker’s prompt, the minister persisted in his characteristic style, leading to good-natured interjections from opposition members who repeatedly asked for a definitive confirmation on the stadium project. Even members of the treasury benches were seen struggling to maintain their composure as the situation unfolded.
The atmosphere reached a peak of amusement when Leader of the Opposition Udhayanidhi Stalin stood to remark on the minister’s performance. He jokingly suggested that the minister’s lengthy explanation served as a warning to other MLAs, quipping that they might now “think twice” before posing questions to him in the future. The remark prompted a fresh wave of laughter, in which the minister himself joined.
When MLA A.C. Vilwanathan attempted to rise for a supplementary question, the mood in the chamber remained playful. Lawmakers seated in the surrounding rows were seen jokingly folding their hands in a gesture of pleading, urging him not to subject the House to another lengthy response. The minister eventually clarified that the request was for an integrated sports facility rather than a simple playground, and he concluded by stating that the proposal would be discussed with the Public Works Department (PWD). The PWD minister subsequently brought the matter to a close by assuring the House that efforts would be made to facilitate the stadium’s construction.
This incident follows recent criticism regarding the minister’s speaking habits. Just last week, former minister K.N. Nehru expressed frustration over the same issue, noting that while the minister may be a poet, the repetition and length of his speeches were adding unnecessary time to the already lengthy assembly sessions.
