FM Sitharaman targets DMK over Jayalalithaa's saree being pulled in House in 1989: What really happened?

In the recently concluded Monsoon Session of Parliament, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman targeted the DMK in the Lok Sabha by invoking how late Tamil Nadu chief minister and AIADMK chief J Jayalalithaa was humiliated in the state assembly in 1989.

This was in response to DMK MP Kanimozhi's statement on Draupadi's incidence in Mahabharata in Lok Sabha during the no-confidence motion debate. The Modi government defeated the no-trust motion in Parliament after a fiery speech by the prime minister at the climax of a three-day debate.

Sitharaman said, "I want to remind this entire House of one incident which happened on 25th March 1989 in the Tamil Nadu assembly. Jayalalithaa's saree was pulled in the Tamil Nadu Assembly. The DMK members heckled her and laughed at her... Has the DMK forgotten Jayalalithaa? You pulled her saree, you demeaned her."

So, what really happened in 1989?

The alleged incident happened during a state Budget Session in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly in 1989, when Jayalalithaa was the Leader of Opposition in the House.

When then Chief Minister M Karunanidhi rose to present the Budget, Jayalalithaa sought to move a Breach of Privilege motion against him accusing him of tapping her phones, according to a report by The Hindu.

As the AIADMK leader kept interrupting Karunanidhi’s Budget speech, he hit back at her with counter accusations. An AIADMK member reportedly pushed a bench in front of the then-Chief Minister, resulting in Karunanidhi losing his balance, according to the report.

Soon, a ruckus broke out in the Assembly, with microphones being pulled out, paperweights and bundles of paper being flung from both sides of the House. Minister Veerapandi Arumugam reportedly also suffered a serious cut injury on his head.

Amids the melee, Jayalalithaa tried to exit the Assembly with Opposition members forming a human shield around her. However, DMK minister Durai Murugan reportedly pulled her saree, forcing her to leave the Assembly in her torn attire.

According to The Hindu archives, Jayalalithaa alleged, "They all concentrated on me and directed blows on my head. Throwing the podium, the bell on the Speaker’s table, big pads and bundles of budget papers, books and whatever missiles they could lay their hands on. I felt giddy and almost fainted. When party MLAs tried to escort me out, a DMK Minister caught hold of my saree and pulled it. This resulted in the safety pin on the shoulder giving way and causing bleeding injuries. The saree was torn."