No trust move: TDP team meets DMK, accuses AIADMK of going back on appointment

A delegation of Telugu Desam Party on Monday called on DMK leader Kanimozhi here seeking her party’s support to a no -confidence motion proposed by it against Prime Minister Narendra Modi government and alleged the ruling AIADMK declined to meet it over the issue under pressure from the BJP.

The three-member delegation, led by TDP MP CM Ramesh, met Kanimozhi, DMK’s Rajya Sabha member and party chief M Karunanidhi’s daughter and sought support to the motion to be moved during the coming monsoon session of Parliament.

The TDP, which pulled out of the BJP-led NDA on the issue of special category status to Andhra Pradesh, had moved a no-confidence motion in the Lok Sabha during the previous Parliament session, but it could not be taken up since the House was not in order.

Ramesh said that they submitted to Kanimozhi a letter from Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu. Kanimozhi said the DMK supported the TDP’s demand for special category status. “We have always been with them (TDP). We will continue to support their demand. They are just asking what was promised on the floor of the House,” she told reporters after meeting the TDP delegation.

The TDP MP claimed that Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami and his Deputy O Panneerselvam declined to meet them despite having given an appointment, a charge denied by the CM’s office. Palaniswami’s office clarified that no such appointments were scheduled. Panneerselvam’s office could not be reached for comments.

“We came to Chennai only after receiving an appointment from the CM and Deputy CM, but after coming here we were kept waiting indefinitely,” Ramesh charged. He alleged that the AIADMK acted as per the directions of the BJP.

The TDP has announced that it will once again move a no confidence motion in the coming session beginning July 18. As per directions of the TDP supremo, six teams of the party MPs are reaching out to non-BJP and non-Congress parties.

The DMK has lodged another complaint with the DVAC seeking probe under Prevention of Corruption Act 1988 against Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami for irregularities in award of five road projects worth over Rs 4,800 crore.

The DMK accused the Chief Minister of allegedly abusing his official position as Minister of Highways and obtaining pecuniary advantage. In its complaint submitted to the DVAC director through party organising secretary RS Bharati, the party alleged that criminal misconduct under provisions of PCA 1988 have been made out against the CM in awarding of the road project tenders. The party had made a similar representation with the DVAC earlier.

Meanwhile, the party has issued a statement claiming that it has moved the High Court praying for passing directions to the DVAC to probe allegations against the Chief Minister and Deputy CM O Panneerselvam, who it, alleged, had amassed wealth and parked hundreds of crores of rupees overseas.

Listing out the details of the five road projects allegedly awarded to relatives of the CM, PWD sand contractor Sekar Reddy and one S Nagarajan whose SPK and Company Expressway Private Limited was raided by I-T department extensively, Bharathi said that Palaniswami entered into a criminal conspiracy with his son’s brother-in-law Chandrakanth Ramalingam, in-law P Subramaniam, S Nagarajan – a partner in SPK and Sekar Reddy and abused his official position.

Charging the CM with committing criminal misconduct and obtaining undue pecuniary advantage for himself and committing offences under section 120-B of IPC and 13 (1) (d) read with 13 (2) of PCA 1988, the complaint said the above contracts have been awarded to two firms at inflated rates only because the two firms were controlled by persons who are closely related to the CM’s son Mithun. The DMK plaint said the provisions of Transparency of Tenders Act 1998 have been violated, seeking a criminal probe against Palaniswami.