Stalin challenges O Paneerselvam to prove majority in House

Terming the statement issued by Lok Sabha deputy speaker M Thambidurai in his official letter pad on Monday as a ‘shameful act’ which has “belittled the office of the CM” of the state, Stalin accused the LS deputy speaker of ‘trivialising’ the Constitution to sing paeans for Sasiakala. 

Earlier, Stalin had criticised a few ministers of the ruling AIADMK for proposing Sasikala for CM even when the incumbent (OPS) was meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi and said the Governor has a Constitutional duty to affirm that the CM enjoys the support of his MLAs. 

“Just when Chief Minister O Panneerselvam has extended his New Year greetings to the President, Vice President and PM, the deputy Speaker (Thambidurai) has belittled the office of CM by issuing a statement proposing Sasikala for CM again.” 

 Urging Thambidurai to desist from indulging in such acts, the DMK treasurer advised that the former quits the office of deputy speaker if he had the political compulsion to issue such statements to prove his political loyalty. 

At a time when speculation is rife over the cause of death of late Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa, with the Madras High Court initiating a probe, DTNext had obtained the letter sent from the office of the TN Governor Vidyasagar Rao to the Home Minister in which he had clarified that Jayalalithaa’s health condition had suddenly deteriorated December 4, 2016 after she suffered a cardiac arrest and was declared dead at 11.30 pm on December 5. “Immediately, thereafter, O Panneerselvam and the senior most members in the erstwhile cabinet, called on me at Raj Bhavan and submitted a letter stating that subsequent to the demise of J Jayalalithaa, a meeting of the AIADMK legislators was held at the party headquarters and that a unanimous resolution was passed electing him as the leader of the AIADMK Legislature Party,” the Governor’s letter stated.