DMK may use ‘water cannon’ against govt

The state politics which became intense post the demise of AIADMK leader J Jayalalithaa and DMK patriarch M Karunanidhi is all set to become stormy from Friday, when the next session of the Legislative Assembly will convene.

Though the Assembly proceedings are to sail smooth on Friday due to condolence resolutions of late MLAs, the ruling AIADMK and the Opposition DMK had invited their party MLAs for confidential meeting later in the day to discuss further on the conduct through the Assembly sessions.

Both the AIADMK sitting on a wafer-thin margin and the DMK is to discuss about the no confidence motion mooted by the Opposition scheduled to come up on Monday. Besides the state’s severe water crisis, suicides due to NEET exams, permissions to extract hydrocarbon and the proposal of Karnataka to construct dam across Cauvery are all set to make the assembly into a verbal war zone.

Besides the role of three rebel MLAs who were earlier served notices by the Speaker acting on the advice of AIADMK party chief whip S Rajendran is also to be keenly watched on Monday. The AIADMK MLAs E Rathinasabapathi, VT Kalaiselvan and Prabhu, who were elected from Aranthangi, Viruddhachalam and Kallakurichi Assembly constituencies will play a major role during the no-confidence motion, observe political analysts.

After the results of 22 Assembly constituencies bypolls, the AIADMK won 9 seats and DMK wrested 13 seats from the AIADMK. “With the DMK’s tally increased all eyes are on DMK, but the AIADMK will easily sail through the no-confidence motion and we are prepared for the D-day,” said an AIADMK MLA wishing not to be named.

The state Assembly now has 232 legislators with two vacant seats of Nanguneri and Vikravandi.

The simple majority for the AIADMK will be 116, but the rebels have been threatening the AIADMK government led by Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami.

The Opposition was also expected to raise the Salem Chennai eight lane green corridor project, which was pending before the Supreme Court after the Madras High Court quashed the land acquisition process for the project.