No ‘secret’ move; DMK plans motion against Speaker

The DMK has submitted the letter a day after its Working President MK Stalin said they would move a no confidence motion against the Speaker for ‘deliberately harping on his community to malign’ their party. 

Emerging out of the Secretariat, Stalin told media persons that they have given a letter to the Assembly Secretary for bringing a no-confidence motion against Dhanapal to whom a copy of the letter has also been submitted. “During the session on February 18, the Speaker acted with ulterior motives. On that basis, given that there is no confidence on him, we have submitted the letter seeking a No-Confidence Motion against him,” the Leader of Opposition reasoned. 

The DMK working president crossed swords with the Speaker after Dhanapal charged on Saturday last after the confidence vote faced by Edappadi K Palanisamy that he was perhaps targeted by the DMK during the ruckus for hailing from a particular community. 

“When we see that the Speaker is deliberately harping on his community to malign us, it is very regrettable. It is a matter of shame, according to us, for Tamil Nadu,” Stalin had explained. 

“Therefore, we will move a No-Confidence Motion (against Dhanapal). Signatures of 34 of our MLAs are enough for that and the (Assembly) rules mandate that it (motion) should be taken up within 15 days,” he added. 

The 89-MLA DMK has upped its ante against the Speaker a day ahead of its state-wide hunger strike condemning the alleged attack and forcible eviction of the party MLAs during the confidence motion on Saturday. DMK’s ally Congress has already extended its support to the one-day DMK strike. Notably, the DMK has been on the offensive more against the Speaker than its rival AIADMK itself. 

The controversy surrounding the floor test that expressed confidence in Chief Minister Edapaddi K Palaniswami government continues to deepen with DMK leader MK Stalin’s counsel informing the Madras High Court that attempts were being made by the Speaker and Assembly Secretary to tamper with the records of the proceedings. When the first bench comprising acting Chief justice Hulvuvadi G Ramesh and Justice R Mahadevan commenced its proceedings on Tuesday, Senior counsel Shanmugasundaram appearing on behalf of Stalin pointed out that the bench on Monday had assured to take up the plea on Tuesday but unfortunately it failed to figure in the cause list. 

He then urged the court to take up the case in the afternoon as ample evidence were being tampered with.