Eighty Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam MLAs, suspended for a week by Tamil Nadu's Assembly Speaker P Dhanapal, staged a sit-in protest outside the Assembly on Thursday after getting into an argument with security personnel who did not let them in. Led by leader of Opposition MK Stalin, the suspended MLAs demanded entry into the Assembly chamber allotted to their party.

M Subramanian, a DMK MLA, said, "It is not our intention to go into the Assembly hall." The MLAs were evicted after pandemonium broke out on Wednesday during their protests against remarks by All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam MLA S Gunasekaran. Gunasekaran had reportedly ridiculed Stalin's 'Namaku Naame' tour.

Despite requests by DMK's allies, the Congress and the Indian Union Muslim League, Dhanapal refused to withdraw the suspension order on Thursday. Seven other DMK MLAs, six Congress and one IUML MLA walked out of the Assembly in protest.