AIADMK's Palaniswami faction petitions TN Speaker to not accept resignation of 3 party MLAs

In a turn of events, the AIADMK camp led by its chief Edappadi K Palaniswami petitioned the Tamil Nadu Assembly Speaker not to accept the resignation of three party MLAs on Tuesday, as he cited alleged legal and procedural errors behind their stepping down.

The party claimed the three MLAs joined the ruling TVK even before their resignation was notified.

Three rebel AIADMK MLAs who voted in favour of the TVK-led government during the May 13 trust vote resigned from their posts on Monday, joining the ruling party.

Senior AIADMK leaders, 'whip' Agri SS Krishnamoorthy and Rajya Sabha MP IS Inbadurai, met Speaker JCD Prabhakar and submitted a representation in this connection.

Krishnamoorthy said that while their earlier plea seeking the disqualification of the 25 MLAs for defying party diktat to vote against the government in its floor test was pending before the Speaker, he cannot accept the resignation of the concerned legislators.

"We had sought action against 25 AIADMK MLAs under the anti-defection law for defying Palaniswami's diktat on confidence vote. The Speaker had said it was under his consideration. Fearing action under the anti-defection law, the three tendered their resignations. When the earlier plea is pending, the Speaker accepting their resignations contravenes the rules. We filed a plea (on Tuesday) on behalf of AIADMK, saying he should not accept their resignation," PTI reported, quoting his comments.

Within five minutes of tendering their resignation, a "laminated TVK membership card was given" to the three persons, he alleged.

"People are asking if this is the Secretariat or TVK headquarters. If this government encourages such resignations, there will be heightened horse trading; the government should come forward to stop this," he said.

Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay had promised clean governance. "To establish his rule through the back door, this government is doing horse-trading at the speed of a horse," the senior leader alleged.

Inbadurai, the AIADMK Advocates' Wing Secretary, said that their side had sought action against the rebel MLAS under the anti-defection law, and that plea is pending. "The legal issue is he (Speaker) can't accept their resignation," under such circumstances.

"They met a TVK minister before notification of their resignation....and they enacted a drama of formal joining (late in the evening). Still, the notification of their resignation (in a government gazette) had not come. So we have sought that their resignation should not be accepted," he said.

MLAs cannot resign when action under the anti-defection law is sought. "You can't escape through the back door," he added.

On Tuesday, AIADMK legislator Esakki Subaya met Tamil Nadu Assembly Speaker JCD Prabhakar and submitted his resignation letter, making him the fourth party MLA to do so in two days.