AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami on Wednesday removed rebel MLAs, including senior leaders, including SP Velumani, C Ve Shanmugam, C Vijayabaskar and Natham R Viswanathan, from their party posts after they voted in favour of the TVK government during the confidence motion in the Assembly.
Although the TVK-led government had the support of 119 MLAs, it won the floor test with 144 votes amid a showdown within the AIADMK, with 25 of its MLAs backing the ruling party.
Palaniswami, who is the AIADMK general secretary, removed all 25 MLAs from party posts and appointed new district secretaries in their place after they defied the party’s diktat issued ahead of the floor test.
Following the floor test, Shanmugam questioned the whip and said party MLAs had not signed any resolution confirming Edappadi K Palaniswami as the legislative party leader.
Addressing a press conference, Shanmugam alleged that the meeting claimed by EPS for the election of the Assembly leader, deputy leader and whip was never held.
He said Vijayabaskar was the AIADMK whip in the Assembly and claimed the party whip could not be appointed directly by the party’s general secretary after EPS had claimed Krishnamoorthy was the party’s whip.
Calling the letter shown by EPS “forged”, the AIADMK MLA claimed there was no party resolution against supporting the TVK during the floor test.
He also asked Palaniswami to produce a copy of the resolution passed at the meeting held to elect the whip.
"On behalf of AIADMK, 25 MLAs have supported TVK Leader TN CM Vijay. EPS is lying on the issue of the signature of 47 MLAs on the resolution not to support TVK. When did the 47 MLAs sign this resolution, as claimed by EPS? He cannot claim this as no such meeting on a resolution took place. The letter given by EPS to the Speaker was forged," Shanmugam said.
AIADMK MLA Thalavai Sundaram, however, defended Palaniswami’s authority to appoint a whip for the Assembly. Referring to the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution while speaking to reporters, Sundaram said Palaniswami had the right to appoint a whip as party chief.
"Just go through it," he said, showing a copy of the Constitution, and added that it provides for the appointment of a whip by the party leader.
Notably, the split in the AIADMK came out in the open during the trust vote proceedings after Palaniswami earlier in the day claimed that, as party general secretary, he had the “right” to appoint the whip.
The whip, Agri SS Krishnamoorthy, had informed all MLAs through SMS, email and registered post that the party would vote against the government in the floor test, he claimed.
Asked if he would seek legal action against those who defied the party whip, he said, "Wait and watch."