AIADMK to seek explanation from RS MP who opposed Farm Bills

Tamil Nadu’s ruling AIADMK will seek an explanation from its Rajya Sabha member, S R Balasubramaniam, on why he opposed the Farm Bills in the Upper House of Parliament when the party had publicly supported the legislation.

Chief Minister and AIADMK joint coordinator Edappadi K Palaniswami said Balasubramaniam, who was nominated to Rajya Sabha by former Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa months before her death in December 2016, will be sought an explanation on the issue.

“We will ask for an explanation from him. We will be seeking the explanation,” Palaniswami said, reiterating that the AIADMK supported the legislations. He was asked why the AIADMK took different stances in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha on the Bills.

While the lone member of the party in Lok Sabha supported the Bill, Balasubramanian who spoke in Rajya Sabha on behalf of AIADMK criticised the legislation, which was put to a voice vote on Sunday.

Balasubramanian’s opposition came after Palaniswami issued a public statement on Saturday supporting the legislations contending that they would improve the lives of farmers across the country.

The Rajya Sabha MP is a former Congressman and a close aide of veteran leader G K Moopanar and his son G K Vasan before quitting the Tamil Maanila Congress (TMC) floated by the latter in 2016. He joined the AIADMK in April 2016 and was nominated to the Rajya Sabha next month.

Speaking to reporters in Ramanathapuram, Palaniswami also refused to answer a question on the future role of V K Sasikala in the AIADMK after her release from Parapana Agrahara prison in Bengaluru.

“There is no need for the question to arise now. This meeting was organized to check the preparedness of the district administration to combat Covid-19 and review development works,” Palaniswami said.

His comments come as speculation mounts over the release of Sasikala, whose four-year sentence in the disproportionate assets (DA) case ends in February next year.

However, the jail authorities said she will be released on January 27, 2021, provided she pays the fine of Rs 10 crore even as her legal team maintains that she is eligible for remission and might walk out of the prison by the end of September.