CHENNAI: Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami and Deputy CM O Panneerselvam on Monday told Speaker P Dhanapal that no Whip was issued to the 11 AIADMK MLAs for the trust vote taken on February 18, 2017. Hence, the demand for their disqualification should be rejected, the Speaker was told.
Dhanapal, on June 10, had forwarded replies received from Palaniswami and Panneerselvam, on June 1 and March 16 respectively, to MLAs including P Vetrivel and Thanga Thamizhselvan, who sought the disqualification of the 11. He had sought their response within seven days.
The said letter assumes significance since DMK MLA R Chakrapani’s petition seeking mandamus against the Speaker to decide the disqualification petition is scheduled to come up for hearing at the Supreme Court on Tuesday. The Speaker’s counsel is expected to tell the apex court that an action had already been taken on the matter.
In his reply, Palaniswami is said to have contended that the party-line Whip was issued only to the 122 MLAs who had elected him on February 14, 2017, as leader of AIADMK legislature party. He also contended that the 11 MLAs, including Panneerselvam continued to represent AIADMK in the Assembly, and have at no point of time moved away from the party ideology.
The CM is also said to have pointed out that no action was initiated by the party to disqualify the MLAs in the fond hope that respondents would express solidarity with the party and thus, even at that stage, their action of voting against the confidence motion was condoned.
He added, the Election Commission had also recognised this in the dispute proceedings and held that the true AIADMK party is the one jointly led by Panneerselvam and himself. Also, most petitions filed during an earlier point of time were filed by those who are not a part of the party anymore, he added.
Panneerselvam too, in his reply to the Speaker, is said to have contended that he had not received any Whip for the trust vote.
SC hearing
DMK MLA R Chakrapani’s petition seeking mandamus against the Speaker to decide the disqualification petition is coming up for hearing at the Supreme Court on Tuesday.