After Speaker’s action, offices of disqualified MLAs sealed

As the 18 MLA are not legislators any more, their access to government-provided accommodation in the Chennai MLAs hostel and offices in their respective constituencies will be restricted, sources reveal.

However, trouble erupted in at least three MLAs constituency offices with officials having to step in and seal them. When news of former minister and Pappireddypatti MLA P Palaniappan being disqualified reached his constituency, his supporters tried to remove the MLA’s belongings to which some others objected. This resulted in a verbal duel due to which police intervened and sealed the office. The whereabouts of the MLA are not known. 

Similarly, the constituency offices of Harur MLA R Murugan and Sathur MLA SG Subramaniam were also locked up by the police to prevent any untoward incidents. Gudiyattam MLA Jayanthi Padmanabhan’s office was locked by PWD officials after police removed her supporters from within. 

MLAs and MPs were provided offices in their respective constituencies (in the constituency for MLAs and at constituency HQs for MPs as a parliamentary constituency includes 6 assembly segments) by the 1991 AIADMK government to ensure that elected members were easily accessible to constituents. However, this is the first time that government has had to act on the offices it provided to its elected members. 

Andipatti MLA Thangatamilselvan, when asked, said his constituency office was still open whereas he did not know the situation about his room in the MLAs hostel. “We are yet to get any information on this from Chennai, as we are focussed on the court verdict scheduled for Wednesday,” he said. 

Perambur MLA P Vetrivel said, “My office comes under Greater Chennai corporation, but officials will not act immediately to close it due to the ongoing court case.” Asked about his hostel room, he said, “I will surrender it. A close friend was using it and I have asked him to vacate as I plan to surrender it.”