CHENNAI: On the eve of the TVK government’s trust vote in the Tamil Nadu Assembly, the internal rift within the AIADMK became official with one group of its legislature party on Tuesday announcing its support for the new government, likely ensuring the sailing is smooth for Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay.
With the other AIADMK faction, led by general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami, set to vote against the new dispensation, all eyes will be on Dravidian major as the divide is manifested on the House floor on Wednesday.
The Secretariat was witness to high drama on Tuesday as the group led by former ministers C Ve Shanmugam and S P Velumani said they would back the TVK in the House, despite the whip issued by party general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami to vote against the TVK in the floor test.
Shanmugam also urged Palaniswami to convene a general council meeting at the earliest to discuss the party’s continued electoral defeats and the corrective measures that need to be taken.
Later speaking to reporters, the former minister accused Palaniswami of proposing to form a government led by him with the support of the party’s arch-rival, the DMK. “Most of the MLAs were appalled at this proposal, as for the past 55 years the AIADMK and DMK have been arch-enemies. The MLAs were not ready to accept this proposal,” Shanmugam said.
Have no intention to split AIADMK, only concerned about party: Velumani
Stating that AIADMK was not in alliance with any party, Shanmugam said that, accepting the people’s verdict, the AIADMK legislature party has decided to support the TVK government. MLAs S P Velumani and G Hari have been elected as the leader and deputy leader respectively of the legislature party. “We have no intention to split the AIADMK. We are only concerned about the party,” Velumani said.
Countering this, on behalf of the MLAs supporting Palaniswami, MLA and former minister O S Manian said they had letters of all 47 AIADMK MLAs declaring support to Palaniswami as the general secretary and as the leader of the legislature party. “Their desire to attain positions of power is making them (the Shanmugam faction) speak in such a manner,” he charged. Manian said 26 MLAs accompanied their team when they met the speaker.
Agri S S Krishnamurthy, whip of the Palaniswami group, said a whip has been issued to all 47 MLAs to vote against the TVK government on Wednesday during the trust vote. “If they violate this, legal action will be taken,” he added.
“If any AIADMK MLA votes against the directions issued by the party’s officially appointed whip during the trust vote in the Assembly, abstain from participating in the vote, or remain neutral, it would amount to defection under the law. Merely functioning as a separate faction or claiming the support of a majority of MLAs does not entitle a group to appoint its own whip independently. Such an appointment would have no legal validity,” AIADMK advocates wing secretary and Rajya Sabha MP, I S Inbadurai, said.
After the Secretariat episode, both AIADMK factions visited the memorial of late Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa and offered prayers.
Meanwhile, NDA ally AMMK’s lone MLA, S Kamaraj, while felicitating the newly-elected Speaker J C D Prabhakar, announced his support for the TVK government. Following this, the party’s general secretary, T T V Dhinakaran, expelled Kamaraj from the party.
Asked about the two AIADMK groups naming separate floor leaders and whips, former speaker M Appavu of the DMK said the final call on recognising the AIADMK legislature party and office-bearers rests with the speaker, whose decision can only be challenged in court.
Another former speaker, P Dhanapal, who belongs to AIADMK but is not in active politics, said action could be taken against MLAs who vote against the party line or leadership only after the legislature party leader and chief whip are elected, adding that, with both AIADMK factions staking a claim, the final decision rests with the speaker under prescribed guidelines.
AMMK’s lone MLA expelled
NDA ally AMMK’s lone MLA, S Kamaraj, while felicitating the newly-elected Speaker J C D Prabhakar, announced his support for the TVK. Following this, the party’s general secretary, T T V Dhinakaran, expelled Kamaraj from the party.
