Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa was at her pungent best on Monday when she took on the father son duo – M Karunanidhi and MK Stalin – dubbing them as cowards who were afraid to participate in debates in the house as they cannot answer to their misdeed and misrule of the past.

The DMK leadership has chickened out of the debate on law and order, she said.

While it was true that 79 DMK MLAs were suspended for their unruly behavior from the house, there were 10 members who were not. Even Karunanidhi did not come and participate in the debate, she said adding that only eight members came to the assembly and later staged a walkout.

“Why did Karunanidhi not attend the session and participate in the debate that was scheduled and one over which the leader of opposition, MK Stalin had alleged that his party was being prevented from participating in the debate on law and order?” Jayalalithaa questioned.

Replying to the demands for grants for police, fire and rescue services departments, Jayalalithaa said she had come with full preparation and rued that it had now all gone a waste.

People are now coming to realize about the behavior of the DMK members through newspapers and television channels. Even Stalin himself admitted that he was ashamed over the behavior of his own MLAs just a day before they were suspended, she said.

The DMK is alleging that the DMK MLAs were suspended to prevent them from participating in debate on law and order.

“If they are really interested in taking part in the debate, the 10 non-suspended members should have attended the proceedings today. But they (eight of them) came today and staged walkout. Two of them could have registered their remarks. Former Ministers were there among the non-suspended MLAs. Don’t they know how to speak?”’ Jayalalithaa said puncturing the DMK allegation.

Citing from the past, she said that barring her all her party MLAs were suspended during the previous DMK regime of 2006-2011. But she declared that she had participate in the debate all alone and took the government on single handedly.

Karunanidhi, does he have the guts to attend the session, she questioned. “Karunanidhi has not been suspended. If he was brave enough, he could have attended the proceedings today. In fact, he should have come here today and speak on the debate. But he did not do so as he was afraid that the plight of law and order situation of the State during his rule would be exposed and he could not answer to our questions,” Jayalalithaa said.

The DMK has already been rejected by the people who want a government that works for them, she said adding that people also rejected the Nammakku Naame. It was an AIADMK MLAs criticism of Namakku Naame programme that triggered the current DMK protests.