Chief Minister Jayalalithaa today hit out at the DMK for ceding the Katchatheevu to Sri Lanka and asserted that she would succeed in her efforts to get back the island.

“The DMK has no right to fault my government in this.What were you doing all these years? Why no step was taken? The party did nothing in spite of being part of the Central government for so many years,” she said angrily.

Stating that she had approached the Supreme Court when she was the opposition leader in her capacity as the general secretary of the AIADMK, Jayalalithaa said she expected a favourable verdict very soon.

Earlier, heated exchanges were witnessed in the House between the ruling and the opposition members since the proceedings began this morning. The DMK members protested against the remarks made by S. Semmalai, who said the DMK president, Karunanidhi, was a person who made contradictory statements on various issues.

This evoked strong protest from the opposition, who urged the Speaker to expunge the remarks. They stood firm even when Finance Minister O. Panneerselvam tried to intervene.

The Leader of the Opposition, M.K. Stalin, and his deputy, Durai Murugan registered their protest. Speaker Dhanapal had a tough time to bring the situation under control while Semmalai continued to list out the stand taken by the DMK leader on various issues including Cauvery, Nokia and Sanskrit.

Semmalai, while winding up his speech, also remarked that Jayalalithaa had favoured the installation of the statues of Anna and MGR as her opinion was sought on the issue. “But Karunanidhi’s choice was that of his nephew Murasoli Maran’s,” he said when the Chief Minister entered the House. When DMK members protested this, Jayalalithaa, on seeing Durai Murugan’s reaction, said, “It looks as though even you are not agreeing with Karunanidhi.”