Chennai: Armed with the Madras high court's interim order restraining Speaker P. Dhanapal from taking action on the privilege notice issued to 21 DMK MLAs for displaying gutkha sachets in the Assembly, the DMK leaders are planning to meet Governor Ch. Vidyasagar Rao and press for ordering a floor test for Edappadi K. Palaniswami government.
The buoyant DMK leaders have sought the appointment of the Governor on September 10. During the meeting, the DMK delegation would insist the Governor to order the state government headed by Palaniswami to prove its majority in the Assembly.
Since, 21 MLAs are supporting AIADMK (Amma) deputy general secretary T.T.V. Dhinakaran, the government has the support of only 114 legislators including Speaker P. Dhanapal who could not vote. The opposition along with 21 Dhinakaran supporters has the backing of 119 MLAs.
DMK working president M.K. Stalin, visibly relieved and happy, lost no time to demand the resignation of Palaniswami from the Chief Minister's post. If Palaniswami did not resign, the Governor should take steps to convene the Assembly for a floor test, he insisted.
He told the media that the government did not have majority either in the Assembly or in the Privileges Committee. The Speaker's notice itself was improper, he said and added that the court's order had protected democracy.
The party leaders feel that the high court admitting the DMK petition against an ongoing privilege action process initiated by the Speaker is itself a big victory. They are confident that the final outcome would be in their favour since the Speaker's notice would not stand legal scrutiny.
Even if the case dragged on for a long time, the DMK has no cause to worry as long as the stay on initiating action against the party MLAs remain.
The plans of the government to suspend the DMK MLAs and push for a confidence vote during their absence would be defeated and the party would go all out to ensure a floor test in the House.
A party delegation headed by its principal secretary K. Duraimurugan had already met the Governor and made the demand. A team of MPs belonging to the DMK, Congress and Left parties had also met President Ram Nath Kovind and requested him to take action for ordering a floor test for Palaniswami government which is in a minority after 21 AIADMK MLAs supporting Dhinakaran had withdrawn their support to the Chief Minister.
