Amid reports that the DMK-led Opposition MlAs would quit the Tamil Nadu Assembly en masse, the Madras High Court on Wednesday would consider two crucial petitions which could impact the fate of the Edappadi Palaniswami (EPS)-led AIADMK Government.
The 18 rebel AIADMK MlAs, who were disqualified on Monday by Speaker P Dhanapal on charges of defection, challenged the disqualification in the Madras High Court, and this would be taken up by the court on Wednesday.
Interestingly, the Secretary of the TN Assembly issued a notice late on Monday notifying vacancies in 18 Assembly constituencies which were hitherto represented by the disqualified MlAs. The notification has been sent to the Election Commission of India for holding by-elections in these constituencies.
The Madras High Court on Wednesday will also pronounce its verdict on a petition filed by the DMK seeking a directive to the Governor and the Speaker to convene the House for a trust vote, against the backdrop of the memorandum submitted by the rebel MlAs to the Governor withdrawing their support to the Chief Minister.
Former Union Minister Salman Khurshid and senior lawyer Dushyant Dave would appear for the expelled MlAs, said sources in the TTV Dinakaran camp.
Ahead of the crucial hearing, DMK working president MK Stalin convened a meeting of the DMK legislature Party on Tuesday. “We are waiting for Wednesday’s court order to take the future course of action,” said Stalin after the meeting.
EVKS Elangovan, senior Congress leader, said his party would follow the line taken by the DMK. “As of now, we have not talked about resignations. We are also waiting for the verdict on the petition filed by the DMK,” he said.
However, sources said the DMK leadership was considering en masse resignations by its MlAs if the disqualification of the rebel AIADMK MlAs was not annulled.
Rebel leader Dinakaran, while speaking to reporters at Tiruchirappalli, said there were 12 MlAs owing allegiance to VK Sasikala in the EPS camp. “These MlAs are our sleeper cells and we will bring down the Government as per our plans,” said Dinakaran. The rebel leader had said last week that the EPS Government would fall by September 22.
The Dinakaran camp had claimed in the past that there were nearly 100 MlAs with the group. The number of MlAs owing allegiance to the Sasikala and Dinakaran came down to 80 by early September, as per the claims of Nanjil Sampath, spokesman of Dinakaran.
Manoj Pandian, a former MP and leader of the EPS faction, pointed out that 111 MlAs had attended the General Council meeting of the party held on September 12. “The rebel MlAs did not attend the legislature Party meeting or the General Council, though we had asked them to attend both. Hence their arguments against the disqualification are hollow,” said Pandian.
All political parties in TN, barring the AIADMK (Amma, PTA) and BJP were highly critical of the disqualification of the rebel MlAs by the Speaker.
“I am surprised by the silence of the BJP leadership in Tamil Nadu to the charges made by the DMK and the Congress. One is forced to ask oneself whether there are any BJP leaders in Tamil Nadu,” said G Satyamoorthi, veteran scribe and political commentator.
Former Speakers of TN Assembly are divided over the action of Dhanapal in disqualifying the MlAs. While Sedapatti Muthiah and Avudaiappan, both belonging to the DMK, said the Speaker’s action would not stand in a court of law, Paul Hector Pandian, Speaker during the AIADMK regime, justified the disqualification of the MlAs.
“The issue is about the dignity of the House. Whether the action by the MlAs was committed outside the House or not, it is for the Speaker to take a decision. The court has no role in this development,” said Pandian.
What is interesting is that Speaker Dhanapal was one of the 33 AIADMK MlAs disqualified by the then Speaker Pandian in 1989 following the split in the party after the demise of MGR.