After resort stay, MLAs a relieved lot

The AIADMK MLAs, who had remained huddled in a resort 80 km from Chennai for over 10 days, heaved a sigh of relief when Chief Minister Edappadi Palaniswami won the confidence motion in the Assembly.

The legislators came to the Assembly in several ministers’ cars to take part in the voting,  which retained Palaniswami, a loyalist of general secretary V K Sasikala, in power.

Soon after Speaker P Dhanapal declared that Palaniswami had won the motion, MLAs on the Treasury Benches – who had kept quiet through the ruckus created by the DMK – erupted in joy, thumping their desks continuously for about a minute.

Palaniswami, who looked relieved, said Sasikala’s vow had come true. Those who tried to break the AIADMK were unmasked, he said. Referring to his predecessor O Panneerselvam and his supporters, Palaniswami said, “People watched how the rival faction worked against Amma’s government.”

He said the day had shown who were the real supporters of Amma (the late chief minister J Jayalalithaa).  Listing the immediate tasks at hand, Palaniswami said he would seek financial assistance from the prime minister for farmers affected by the Vardha cyclone.

Meanwhile, the Golden Bay resort in Kancheepuram district, where the MLAs in the Sasikala camp were housed, closed for ‘maintenance’ soon after the legislators left to participate in the Assembly
session.

A note posted on the wall of the luxurious property read: “resort under maintenance”. AIADMK sources said the MLAs would head for their constituencies by Saturday night or Sunday.