TN Speaker disqualifies 18 rebel AIADMK legislators

Wednesday 20th September 2017 06:54 EDT
 
 

CHENNAI: Eighteen legislators loyal to sidelined deputy general secretary TTV Dhinakaran of Tamil Nadu's ruling AIADMK, have been disqualified by the state assembly Speaker under the anti-defection law. In a statement Speaker P Dhanapal ordered “disqualification of 18 lawmakers under the anti-defection law.” A total 19 AIADMK lawmakers had submitted a letter to Governor CV Rao withdrawing their support to Chief Minister K Palaniswami. They asked Rao to initiate the process to install a new CM.

After the move, party Chief Whip S Rajendran wrote to the Speaker asking to disqualify the MLAs who rebelled against Palaniswami. After the Speaker issued notices to the rebel MLAs, one of them switched over to Palaniswami side.

HC to hear their pleas

The Madras high court, meanwhile, agreed to hear their pleas against the disqualification. Justice M Duraiswamy allowed an urgent mention made by senior counsel P R Raman on behalf of the legislators.

Meanwhile, the united AIADMK moved to consolidate its position by sacking its jailed general secretary VK Sasikala from the top post. At a general council meeting, the group headed by Palaniswami and deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam announced that the late J Jayalalitaa would be the party's permanent general secretary.

In another meeting, Palaniswami hinted at a possible endorsement of a future alliance with the BJP at the Centre. Palaniswami said the AIADMK government could have done much more for Tamil Nadu if it had aligned with the central government. Addressing the party cadre, the CM defended his party's close relations with the BJP and slammed the DMK for alleging that the state government has turned out to be a “slave” of the Centre.

“We are neither slaves nor servants to the Centre,” he said. “We are just cordial with the Union government. Only then we will be able to get projects for Tamil Nadu and get approvals for our own welfare schemes,” he said. He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had promised any number of free houses to be built for the poor and assured that an industrial township would be created in the state, out of cordiality. “But when you (DMK) were part of the Centre for 14 years, you were only keen on getting ministries for family members. If we were in alliance with the Centre, we would have established several new industries. We would have made Tamil Nadu a glorious state. The entire state would have been made rich. But AIADMK did not have such an opportunity,” he said.


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