Government’s future hangs on court verdicts, civic poll outcome

Its survival hangs on the outcome of court cases; the trial by fire in the local body elections; and managing the upcoming budget session, the timing of which lies in the hands of Governor Banwarilal Purohit. 

The first and immediate challenge is the verdict in the appeal by 18 MLAs supporting RK Nagar legislator TTV Dinakaran against their disqualification by Speaker P Dhanapal. 

Dinakaran’s supporters are optimistic of a favourable judgment on their plea, even as they believe that the 11 MLAs who supported present deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam and voted against the Palaniswami government cannot escape disqualification. 

Stating that the 11 MLAs who voted against the confidence motion would certainly be disqualified, former secretary of Karnataka state unit V Pugazhendhi said, “The government has more than three years left, and the MLAs are not ready for immediate elections. 

The responsibility of saving the AIADMK government is with Palaniswami, and the only way he can do that is by stepping down and also accepting O Panneerselvam’s removal from the deputy Chief Minister post. Then, all AIADMK MLAs will rally behind Dinakaran and a new AIADMK government will be formed.” 

DMK spokesperson and Rajya Sabha MP TKS Elangovan said the continuance of the government would depend on the verdict in the disqualification case. 

“Despite continuing in office, the government has not done anything. It survived by deferring to the Union government, sacrificing the state’s rights. It was not able to enact its own bill on NEET. 

It lacked administrative ability to handle public protests, and instead of fulfilling their demands, it has only been suppressing the rights of people. Most of the Union government establishments are being moved out of Tamil Nadu, resulting in job losses for Tamils. 

Its survival will not be good for the people,” the DMK leader said. Besides the judgments, the local body elections will be a major challenge for the government, as a loss would diminish its authority to govern. As one of the key leaders in Palaniswami camp, Electricity minister P Thangamani, admitted with surprising candidness, “The AIADMK will become an opposition if it loses the local body polls.” 

Former minister and party spokesperson Vaigaiselvan accepted that local body elections would be a major challenge, besides the Cauvery water dispute, NEET and budget. 

“The government will have to meet the demands of farmers as well as traders. It will have to handle the protests by electricity workers in a deft manner. With ‘Two Leaves’ symbol, the AIADMK will win a majority of the local bodies and continue the good work and the journey despite the challenges.”