Ask EPS to prove majority in House: TTV Dhinakaran presses TN Governor

Two days after Chief Minister Edappadi Palaniswami conducted a meeting with MLAs and district secretaries, AIADMK Deputy General Secretary met Governor Vidyasagar Rao on Thursday and demanded that EPS prove majority in the House.

Addressing the media after meeting the governor, Dhinakaran said, “We asked the governor to act upon the petition that we had filed on August 22. We all saw in the MLA meeting held on September 5 that Edappadi Palaniswamai does not have 117 MLAs, we requested the governor not to allow horse trading and Edappadi government should be asked to show majority. Our main demand is to remove the Chief Minister. The governor told us that he is watching all that is happening and he will do his duty and take the right decision.”  

On August 22, 19 MLAs supporting TTV Dhinakaran had met Governor Vidyasagar Rao and informed him of their decision to withdraw support to the Chief Minister Edappadi Palaniswami, expressing their lack of confidence in him.

The Dhinakaran camp, which claims the support of at least 22 MLAs, saw one legislator defect to EPS’s faction. On Thursday morning, AIADMK MLA from Cumbun ST Jakkaiyan who was earlier supporting TTV Dhinakaran, extended his support to Edappadi Palaniswami. He said that he submitted his response to privilege committee that he is supporting Edappadi Palaniswami. Asked about Jakkaiyan, TTV said, “Jakkaiyan had asked me for party posts while coming in the train and then today morning he went and extended his support to Edappadi Palaniswami. So, you know what would have happened.”

TTV, however, reiterated that he has sleeper cell MLAs in the ruling camp. “Our sleeper cell is still there in the Edappadi camp. We will activate it at the appropriate time,” he said. He also claimed that while one MLA had defected, three other MLAs had joined his faction.

Speaking about Anitha’s suicide and the recent protests across the state, the sidelined Deputy General Secretary said, “When I met people, they wanted to remove the Chief Minister, they are against the Chief Minister. I have never heard of a case like this before where the daughter of a daily wage labourer committed suicide, people are against the government. MLAs supporting Edapaddi and OPS cannot go to the people to go ask for votes in the next election.”