DMK slams Governor for ‘black chapter’ in State politics

The Madras High Court will on Wednesday hear a batch of petitions challenging the disqualification of 18 dissident AIADMK MLAs by Tamil Nadu Speaker P. Dhanapal for having withdrawn support to Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami.

On Tuesday, Justice M. Duraiswamy accepted a request made by senior counsel P.R. Raman, representing some of the disqualified MLAs, to hear the matter immediately in view of the urgency of the issue.

He directed the Court Officer to issue a slip to counsel with a direction to the Registry to number the cases, if the papers were in order, and list them for hearing on Wednesday.

Rao meets Rajnath

Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu Governor Ch. Vidyasagar Rao met Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh at the latter’s residence in New Delhi on Tuesday morning.

During the 20-minute meeting, the Governor is believed to have apprised Mr. Singh about the current political developments in Tamil Nadu, a Home Ministry official said. He arrived in Chennai later in the afternoon.

A day after Mr. Dhanapal passed his order Revenue authorities sealed the constituency offices of the disqualified legislators in different parts of Tamil Nadu. Some of those disqualified, hurriedly vacated their rooms at the MLAs’ hostel in Chennai.

Leader of the Opposition and DMK working president M.K. Stalin, who chaired a meeting of his party legislators at Anna Arivalayam here, accused the Governor of having created a “black chapter in the State’s politics” by allowing a government without majority to continue in power for 28 days. Mr. Stalin charged that the Governor was functioning as per the whims of the BJP-led government at the Centre.

When journalists asked if the DMK planned to ask its 89 MLAs to resign en masse to protest the Speaker’s decision, he said any such decision to bring pressure on the government would be taken after the Madras High Court decided on the issue of disqualification of the dissidents. He said the motive of the Speaker was explained by the fact that he took 43 days to publish the vacancy caused by disqualification of Jayalalithaa in 2014 (following her conviction in a corruption case), but immediately notified the disqualification of the 18 MLAs.

“His action has thoroughly exposed the crooked means adopted by him and misuse of the anti-defection law to secure majority as per the Constitution to Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami,” he said.

Mr. Stalin said the Centre and the Governor, who connived with the State government to manufacture majority, were responsible for the political crisis in the State.

“Mr. Dhanapal who failed to remain impartial and the Chief Minister who resorted to horse trading to remain in power should resign their posts and uphold the sanctity of the Indian Constitution and the dignity of the Assembly,” he said. The DMK would continue to take efforts through legal and democratic means to remove the government from power.

He said the DMK had approached the court because the Governor was toeing the Centre’s line. “We hope we will get justice in the court. After that we will meet again and take a decision,” he added.

A resolution adopted in the meeting agreed to approve any decision to be taken by Mr. Stalin in connection with the present political situation.