Petition filed by the DMK seeks disqualification of 11 AIADMK MLAs, including Panneerselvam, for defying a party whip and voting against the EPS Government in the trust motion on February 18, 2017
Tamil Nadu politics plunged into another crisis on Monday as the Supreme Court refused to adjourn the hearing of a petition filed by the DMK seeking disqualification of 11 AIADMK MLAs, including O Panneerselvam, the Deputy Chief Minister, for defying a party whip and voting against the Edappadi Palaniswami-led Government in the trust motion on February 18, 2017.
The Madras High Court had dismissed the DMK petition in April this year ruling that the Court does not have the jurisdiction over the powers of the Speaker. The DMK later approached the apex court with a petition challenging the Madras High Court verdict. Since the court has paved the way for the hearing the appeal, the AIADMK Government would be on tenterhooks as any adverse verdict from the apex court means the loss of 11 MLAs for the ruling dispensation which is surviving only because of the proverbial ‘wafer thin majority’.
The AIADMK has 115 members (including the Speaker) in the House with a total strength of 234. The Opposition has 98 members which include TTV Dhinakaran, the lone member of the AMMK. Chances are that five members are all set to cross over to the Dhinakaran camp which means the AIADMK would be left with 99 members making the Palaniswami Government a lame duck.
The day began with M K Stalin, the DMK president, declaring at a marriage ceremony that his party had collected all documentary evidence of ‘big-time’ corruption committed by the Edappadi Palaniswamy Government over the last two years. “We have concrete proof of the corrupt practices of the chief minister, his deputy and other members in the council of Ministers. The day this Government falls and our Government takes over the administration, all these corrupt ministers including Edappadi Palaniswami, Panneerselvam and other Ministers would end up in jail,” declared Stalin.
He accused the Palaniswami Government of running away from the electorate without holding even the local body elections. “This Government is unlikely to hold even the 20 by-polls necessitated by the disqualification of the 18 MLAs and the demise of two MLAs,” charged Stalin.
Earlier in the day, the AIADMK leadership including Palaniswami, Panneerselvam and senior leaders and Ministers went into a huddle following the Supreme Court’s refusal to adjourn the hearing of the petition filed by the DMK seeking disqualification of Panneerselvam and ten party MLAs. Despite the Madras High Court’s verdict upholding the Speaker’s order disqualifying the 18 MLAs owing allegiance to VK Sasikala and Dhinakaran, the Palaniswami-Panneerselvam camp extended olive branch to the rebel MLAs as well as party functionaries with a request to return to the mother party.
The rebel camp is yet to decide on the future course of action. Though TTV Dhinakaran told reporters at Sivaganga on Saturday that the disqualified MLAs would seek re-election as and when the by-polls are held, his party was yet to decide whether they should file an appeal in the Supreme Court challenging last week’s Madras High Court order.