CHENNAI: The ruling AIADMK will suffer another setback in the assembly session which starts on Wednesday, after a Times Now-Moon TV sting operation telecast a cash-for-vote narrative by two party MLAs. DMK immediately convened a strategy session for its members, brainstorming for hours on how to corner the government during the session.
The party intends to ask the Speaker to order a probe into charges of bribing of MLAs and, plans to meet the governor and make a request for a probe. Meanwhile, the AIADMK is likely to defend the issues raised by the opposition parties, however, their main worry remains the kind of behaviour of Sasikala loyalists in the Assembly. A source said, “Cabinet, after discussing the issues of governance, also discussed ways and means to handle the opposition onslaught on the TV expose and other issues like drinking water crisis, NEET, etc.” He added, “If some ruling party MLAs rebel and refuse to support, then cut motions may be a big headache for the government and this also figured in the meeting.”
An MLA said, “Thalapathi (DMK working president MK Stalin) advanced the legislature party meeting to Tuesday only to brief us on the TV channel's expose. The meeting discussed plans to raise the issue soon after the assembly session starts.”
Meanwhile, AIADMK (Puratchi Thalaivi Amma) leader O Panneerselvam said Prime Minister Narendra Modi wants both AIADMK factions to unite and provide a clean government. “This is a party built by MGR and Jayalalithaa. We can't let it perish. We don't want any one family to take control of the party. We thought we will sort out differences with the other faction through talks, but they did not give us enough confidence.” He added, “Modi feels the two factions should merge and function as a united party that can provide stable governance. More important, he feels it should be a corrupt-free regime and he has conveyed this to us.”
EC orders FIR against TN CM
The Election Commission has, meanwhile, ordered filing of FIR against Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami and five others in the RK Nagar by-poll bribery case, known as “cash for vote” scam. Others listed are state ministers P Thangamani, KA Sengottaiyan, C Vijaya Bhaskar and Sellur Raju and ruling Anna DMK deputy general secretary TTV Dinakaran, nephew of late chief minister J Jayalalithaa’s jailed confidant Sasikala. Dinakaran was candidate in RK Nagar, where a bypoll came up after the death of Jayalalithaa on Dec.5 last year.
Sasikala wanted him to become chief minister after winning the by-poll, but as the Income-Tax authorities reported that huge amounts of money was planned for distribution to voters, Election Commission cancelled the by-poll. Soon after Dinakaran was charged for trying to bribe EC officials to obtain the party’s Two Leaves symbol for his faction. He underwent a period of detention in Delhi when the chief minister and team declared him persona non grata.
