18 MLAs disqualified by TN speaker supporting TTV Dhinakaran

Chennai:Cracking the whip, Tamil Nadu Assembly Speaker P Dhanapal today disqualified 18 AIADMK MLAs owing allegiance to “removed” party leader TTV Dhinakaran.

The action against the 18 MLAs, who had revolted against Chief Minister K Palaniswami last month, was taken under anti-defection and disqualification rules of 1986 formed in accordance with the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution, said a statement from Assembly Secretary K Bhoopathy.

The MLAs who have been disqualified with effect from today are Thangatamilselvan, R Murugan, Mariappan Kennedy, K Kathirkamu, C Jayanthi Padmanabhan, P Palaniappan, V Senthil Balaji, S Muthiah, P Vetrivel, NG Parthiban, M Kothandapani, TA Elumalai, M Rengasamy, R Thangadurai, R Balasubramani, SG Subramanian, R Sundarraj and K Uma Maheswari.

The said MLAs, besides another, had on August 22 met the Tamil Nadu Governor Ch Vidyasagar and conveyed that they had lost confidence in Palaniswami, who is facing a challenge from Dhinakaran.

One of the dissident MLAs, SKT Jakkaiyan, had later switched camps to support Palaniswami.

Also Read : AIADMK crisis: TTV Dhinakaran hits back at ‘corrupt’ Palaniswami

These MLAs had since been demanding the removal of Chief Minister.

The August 22 meeting had come a day after the formal merger of the two factions led by Palaniswami and then rebel leader and now Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam.

Earlier, Chief Government Whip S Rajendran had urged the Speaker to disqualify the said MLAs for “anti-party activities” following their revolt against the Chief Minister.

Though the Speaker had issued notices to all the dissident MLAs seeking their individual presence, they had, however, not turned up.

A resolution adopted at a meeting chaired by Palaniswami on August 28 had said Dhinakaran was “removed” from the post of Deputy General Secretary.

Opposition parties have since been insisting the Governor direct a floor test for the Palaniswami government for proving its majority in the Assembly.

Also Read : TT VDhinakaran alleges Palaniswami faction ‘intimidating’ MLAs of his camp

In the 234-member House, AIADMK has a strength of 134 MLAs.

The RK Nagar seat fell vacant last year following the death of then Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa.

Opposition has a strength of 98 including DMK’s 89.

Congress 8 and IUML one.

PTI