PUDUCHERRY: The fight between the BJP government at the Centre and the Congress government here over the issue of nominated MLAs got intense with Speaker of the Territorial Assembly V Vaithilingam rejecting the administration’s letter (at the behest of Union Home Ministry) for providing salary, allowances and other entitlements to the three BJP nominated MLAs on the grounds that he had already rejected their nominations and thereby were not eligible for any entitlements. The Speaker also issued a warning to the Executive authorities that any direction contrary to his order may attract the contempt of the ‘House’.
“The Speaker is of the considered view that there is no scope for review of his earlier order on November 12, wherein he has categorically ordered that the nominations of V Saminathan, K G Shankar and S Selvaganapathu were void and ab initio since their nominations were made by an incompetent authority and without the jurisdiction in contravention of the Constitution of India and Union Territories Act, 1963,” said Secretary Assembly A Vincent Rayar in a reply to the administration.