AIADMK MLAs pledging support to sidelined Deputy General Secretary TTV Dhinakaran on Thursday said they will file a petition before the Madras High Court seeking a floor test in the Tamil Nadu Assembly.
The matter came up in the High Court when DMK’s petition seeking a floor test was being heard. Senior advocate PS Raman appearing for the Dhinakaran camp had mentioned before Justice Duraisamy that certain MLAs also wished to implead in the case as the Tamil Nadu Assembly Speaker had issued notices to 19 legislators asking why they should not be disqualified.
While asking the MLAs to file a plea, the High Court also asked the Advocate General to clarify by Thursday afternoon whether Speaker P Dhanapal is going to disqualify the 19 MLAs.
The TN Speaker had issued three notices to 19 MLAs who had submitted petitions to Governor Vidyasagar Rao withdrawing support to Chief Minister Edappadi Palaniswami. The MLAs were asked to appear before the Speaker on Thursday and explain themselves.
However, 18 MLAs are presently camped at a resort in Coorg and have refused to appear before the Speaker.
The move to approach court by the TTV camp comes two days after the two factions of the AIADMK sacked General Secretary VK Sasikala and Dhinakaran from their posts at the General Council meeting in Chennai. It also comes days after Dhinakaram met Tamil Nadu Governor Vidyasagar Rao urging him to ask Chief Minister Edappadi Palaniswami to prove his majority in the House.
DMK working President and Leader of Opposition MK Stalin had on Tuesday filed a petition before the High Court seeking a floor test in the Assembly.
Stalin stated in the petition that the Chief Minister does not have a majority in the Assembly. “In these circumstances, it is prayed that this Hon’ble Court may issue a writ of Mandamus or any other appropriate writ order or direction, directing the Respondents to hold trust vote in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly forthwith,” it read.
He also asked for the appointment of an independent observer to supervise the floor test. “It is also prayed that a floor test be conducted under the supervision of an independent observer appointed by this Hon’ble Court,” he said in the petition.
Over the last few weeks, Dhinakaran’s MLAs and Opposition MLAs led by the DMK have had multiple meetings with the Governor urging him to convene an Assembly session so as to allow EPS to take a floor test.
Following the General Council meeting on Tuesday, Dhinakaran had threatened to pull down the EPS government.
Meanwhile, the Dhinakaran camp has also moved the Election Commission to not accept the resolutions passed at the General Council meeting convened by EPS and OPS on Tuesday.