Chennai: The DMK and Congress on Monday viewed the disqualification of 18 AIADMK MLAs by Speaker P. Dhanapal as a quicker route to power by winning the bypolls, while the other Opposition leaders hoped that the move would not stand legal scrutiny ultimately resulting in the fall of the government on the floor.
Describing the move as an 'act of cowardice', DMK working president M.K. Stalin said the Palaniswami government trying to escape through fraudulent means would be defeated in the people's court, indicating that the party is preparing to face bypolls to 19 constituencies including R.K. Nagar and change the government.
Congress MLA Vijayadharani, openly commented that the DMK-Congress alliance would sweep all the 19 seats in the bypolls and capture the government. If the DMK swept the polls to 19 seats, the alliance tally would go up to 117 in the 234-member House. Besides, members including actor Karunas and MJK legislator Thamimun Ansari are opposed to the Palaniswami government.
However, Stalin also said the disqualification was illegal and buried the democratic traditions, besides demanding the resignation of Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami. He also hit out at the BJP government saying the Centre would have to answer for allowing a government which had lost its majority to continue in power and handle the exchequer.
The DMK leader termed the act a 'murder of democracy' since an MLA could be disqualified only if he voluntarily quit a party or voted against the party's whip in Assembly.
Stalin also pointed out that the same Speaker had not disqualified 12 MLAs who voted against the government in the confidence vote in February despite complaints by four AIADMK MLAs.
Citing the Supreme Court verdict on the Yeddiyurappa government's case that MLAs conveying to the Governor that they had no confidence in the Chief Minister would not amount to defection from a party, Stalin said the Speaker's move was against the Supreme Court verdict and anti-defection law.
Citing the same verdict, PMK founder S.Ramadoss said the move would not stand legal scrutiny and asserted that Palaniswami government would be removed even if the Speaker and Governor Ch. Vidyasagar Rao tried to prop it up. Ramadoss said the horse-trading efforts of the government had failed despite the Governor delaying his decision to give time for horse-trading, the PMK leader said.
CPM state secretary G.Ramakrishnan said the result of the action would depend on the outcome of the court verdict on the issue. CPI state secretary R. Mutharasan said the minority Palaniswami government is acting in an illegal manner with the support of the Centre even though Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union home minister Rajnath Singh and the Governor knowing well that the state government had lost its majority. VCK leader Thol. Thirumavalavan said the Speaker knew that the move would be rejected by the court and described the move as a drama enacted by the state and Central governments.
