TN Speaker Disqualifies 18 Dhinakaran Faction MLAs; Will HC Approve? 

By Ramachandra Murthy Kondubhatla

The rough and tumble in Tamil Nadu politics continues unabated with yet another twist taking place on Monday. Speaker of Tamil Nadu Assembly P. Dhanpal has clearly faulted when he decided to disqualify the 18 AIADMK MLAs who are sailing with the dissident leader TTV Dhinakaran. The MLAs were sought to be punished even before they committed any crime (They did not vote violating the whip) while O. Pannerselvam and his associates who violated the whip when E. Palaniswmy government went for the confidence motion are happily enjoying ministerial berths.

It is significant that the Speaker has announced his decision to axe the dissident MLAs on a day when acting governor Ch Vidyasagara Rao landed in Chennai.

The Speaker’s action will, most probably, not stand legal scrutiny. The Madras High Court will be approached by the aggrieved MLAs and it is expected to take a decision very soon. The HC had earlier asked the Speaker not to go ahead with the floor test till it takes up the pending petition asking for the disqualification of OPS and others for violating the whip. The rebel MLAs are presently camping at Coorg in Karnataka.

The political imbroglio appears to continue at the cost of good governance for the hapless people of Tamil Nadu who had been at the mercy of the wily politicians both in Tamil Nadu and Delhi.

It was a clever move by the EPS-OPS to marginalse Sasikala and her nephew Dhinakaran who appeared to be preparing to fell the present government. Representatives of the ruling faction have submitted the resolution of the General Council of the AIADMK held recently in Chennai requesting allotment of two-leaves election symbol since both EPS and OPS factions had got together.

It was in the Council meeting a few weeks ago that Sasikala was divested of her position of the party’s General Secretary and Dhinakaran of his post of Asst. General Secretary. The disqualification of the MLAs means the reduction in the strength of Tamil Nadu Assembly. With this, the half-way mark would be 108 since the effective strength of the 235-Member Assembly will come down to 117, if the court does not strike down the Speaker’s order.

The ruling party enjoys enough support to win confidence vote. It is significant that the Speaker has announced his decision to axe the dissident MLAs on a day when acting governor Ch Vidyasagara Rao landed in Chennai. The drama is not yet over. It will continue at the cost of good governance for the hapless people of Tamil Nadu who had been at the mercy of the wily politicians both in Tamil Nadu and Delhi.