DMK-led opposition meets Governor; seeks Palaniswami government's dismissal

DMK working president M K Stalin also sought a CBI probe into the issue based on a 'sting' operation by a private TV channel, besides the Enforcement Directorate joining the investigation. 
DMK ministers presenting the memorandum to Governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao, seeking the dismissal of Tamil Nadu chief minister Edappadi Palanisamy at Raj Bhavan, Mumbai on Wednesday. File (EPS)
DMK ministers presenting the memorandum to Governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao, seeking the dismissal of Tamil Nadu chief minister Edappadi Palanisamy at Raj Bhavan, Mumbai on Wednesday. File (EPS)

CHENNAI: The Leader of Opposition in the State Assembly and DMK working president MK Stalin, together with the floor leader of the Congress KR Ramaswamy and IUML MLA KAM Mohammed Abubacker, urged the Governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao on Saturday to dismiss the Government headed by the Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami in the wake of fresh ‘revelations’ in the sting operation by a television channel involving the MLAs of both factions of the AIADMK.

M K Stalin
M K Stalin

However, the demand for dismissing the Edappadi Government was not there in the memorandum submitted by Stalin and other leaders to the Governor at Raj Bhavan.  Stalin said the Governor had promised them that he would take appropriate action on their demand.

“The video recordings of the sting operation on SS Saravanan MLA and Kanagaraj MLA reveal that the vote of confidence conducted on February 18 was vitiated by the inducements and bribery of the AIADMK MLAs,” Stalin said in the memorandum. He said the Governor should declare the trust vote taken on February 18 null and void and order a fresh trust vote.

Besides the Governor should direct an impartial probe by CBI into the offences under the Prevention of Corruption Act 1988 and a probe by Directorate of Revenue Intelligence or the Enforcement Directorate to unearth the money trail and to investigate offences under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.

"The trust vote was won (by the Palaniswami government) only due to horse-trading. So that voting should be cancelled and this government should be dismissed immediately," Stalin, also the leader of opposition in the state assembly, told reporters here.     

These demands have been raised with the governor and he has "assured" us to look into the legal aspects of the matter, Stalin added.     

Stalin said he had earlier demanded secret ballot for the February 18 trust vote which was not heeded to.   

"This government is running on a trust vote won by horse-trading. This sting operation has proved that," he said, referring to the O Panneerselvam camp member and Madurai (South) MLA S S Saravanan reportedly making claims in this regard.     

The legislator has, however, denied it was his voice in the TV video footage on alleged horse-trading though he had admitted that it was him in the video.     

"It is me in the video, but the voice is not mine," Saravanan had said.     

The matter related to purported claims by Saravanan in the TV 'sting' operation about alleged pay-offs to ruling party MLAs ahead of the trust vote that was won by incumbent chief minister K Palaniswami.   

Stalin, accompanied by Congress Legislature Party Leader K R Ramasamy and Indian Union Muslim League MLA KAM Mohammed Abubakker, said the opposition parties will discuss the future course of action if the governor did not act on their demands.

(with PTI inputs)

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