AIADMK, Tamil Nadu’s principal Opposition party, on Tuesday petitioned Assembly Speaker M Appavu demanding that he recognise R B Udhayakumar, as the deputy leader of the AIADMK Legislature Party, replacing O Panneerselvam, who was sacked from the party in July last year.
A delegation led by Leader of Opposition Edappadi K Palaniswami met Appavu at the Assembly premises and also asked him to provide a seat next to him for Udhayakumar. Currently, the seat is being occupied by Panneerselvam – the two leaders don’t see eye-to-eye for now – and EPS wants to avoid sitting next to his former boss.
The AIADMK had in July named Udhayakumar, who belongs to the dominant Mukulathor community much like OPS, as the deputy leader of the Legislature Party. They also demanded that the Speaker recognise Udhayakumar, a former minister and MLA from Thirumangalam Assembly seat in Madurai, as the deputy leader of Opposition.
“We asked the Speaker to decide on the issue very soon. He has promised us that he will find a resolution,” a senior AIADMK leader told DH. The AIADMK wants the issue to be resolved soon so that Palaniswami doesn’t have to suffer the embarrassment of sitting next to Panneerselvam, who seems happy to occupy the front row.
Speaker Appavu has maintained that only he is empowered to decide the seating arrangement of the members inside the House and that he will take a call on the AIADMK’s representation at the right time.
On his part, Panneerselvam said it was the Speaker who will take a decision on the issue and others have no say in it.
Accepting Udhayakumar as the deputy leader of the AIADMK legislature party would mean OPS being moved from the front row as he has the support of just three MLAs including him in the Assembly. The AIADMK’s strength in the 234-member Assembly is 66.
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