CHENNAI: The opposition AIADMK has alleged that the ruling TVK government is actively encouraging horse-trading in the State.
Speaking to reporters after meeting Assembly Speaker JCD Prabhakar at the Secretariat, AIADMK MLA Agri Krishnamurthy — representing the Edappadi K Palaniswami (EPS) faction — detailed the party's grievances. He said that during the confidence motion moved by the TVK government, AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami had directed all party MLAs to vote against the government. However, 25 AIADMK legislators voted in favour of the ruling party, he claimed.
Krishnamurthy noted that the party had submitted a petition to the Speaker seeking action under the anti-defection law against those MLAs. The Speaker informed them that the petition was still under examination.
He also questioned how the resignations of three MLAs could be accepted while disqualification proceedings against them were pending. The AIADMK had strongly urged the Speaker not to accept those resignations while their petition remained unresolved, Krishnamurthy said, adding that accepting resignations under such circumstances violated Assembly rules and democratic norms.
Criticising the developments further, he asked whether the secretariat was functioning as the State's administrative headquarters or as the TVK party's office.
"Horse-trading is carried out at horse speed," Krishnamurthy alleged, adding that MLAs who resigned were issued TVK identity cards within minutes.
He also warned that encouraging elected representatives to resign would further accelerate political defections in the State.