TN Speaker serves show-cause notice to 19 AIADMK rebels

Tamil Nadu Assembly Speaker P. Dhanapal on Thursday issued notices to 19 rebel legislators owing allegiance to T.T.V. Dhinakaran asking them to explain within a week why they should not be disqualified.

The Speaker’s action comes after the Chief Whip of AIADMK in the Assembly, Rajendran, recommended that the 19 rebels be disqualified.

These 19 legislators had on Tuesday met Governor C. Vidyasagar Rao at Raj Bhavan and handed over letters withdrawing support to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami. As many as 18 of these MLAs are presently staying at a resort in Puducherry.

Rajendran argued that the action of the MLAs amounted to “defection” under the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution as they had gone back on unanimous decision taken by party MLAs on February 14 to back Palaniswami as Chief Minister. “In my recommendation to the Speaker, I have cited Section 6 of the Members of the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly (Disqualification on Ground of Defection) Rules, 1986, to urge him to disqualify the legislators,” he said.

Reaction to this, Andipatti legislator Than ga tamils elvan, a supporter ofDh inaka ran, said :“The Supreme Court itself has earlier ruled that such actions do not attract disqualification. The Chief Whip will face action for committing contempt of court. This is an attempt to intimidate other MLAs from switching over to our side. No whip was ever issued to us then where is the question of violating the whip? Only if a whip is issued it would bind us,” he said.

Observers felt that the Speaker may not rush through with any decision on this. It could only be a tactic to put pressure on the rebel MLAs to warn that they could lose their seats if they do not withdraw their letter expressing lack of confidence in the Chief Minister.

Interestingly, if the Speaker goes ahead and disqualifies them, then the government will survive a floor test in the Assembly.