Chennai: Leaders of various opposition parties in Tamil Nadu today urged Governor CH Vidyasagar Rao to direct Chief Minister K Palaniswami to seek a confidence vote in the State Assembly to prove his government’s majority to avoid any horse trading. The demand by the opposition parties like the DMK, PMK, VCK and others comes in the wake of 19 MLAs of the TTV Dinakaran group submitting letters to the Governor, expressing lack of confidence on Palaniswami and withdrawing their support to his government. DMK Working President M K Stalin, in a letter to the Governor, said ‘consequent upon the identical letters given by the MLAs today expressing lack of confidence on the Chief Minister, an unprecedented Constitutional crisis erupted in which the ruling government has lost the majority.’ ‘As a leader of the Opposition, I request the Governor to direct Mr Palaniswami to prove his majority in the Assembly immediately and uphold the Constitutional norms and the parameters laid down in the famous Judgment in ‘SR Bommai case’ by the Supreme Court, without giving any room for horse trading. PMK Youth Wing leader and Lok Sabha MP Anbumani Ramadoss said the Governor has to ask the Chief Minister to prove his majority within three days to prevent any horse trading. Observing that the the government headed by Palaniswami has lost the moral responsibility to continue in power following withdrawal of support by 22 MLAs (19 MLAs of Dinakaran camp and three others who were elected on AIADMK symbol in last year’s Assembly election). Pointing out that the AIADMK has a strength of 134 members in the assembly (excluding the Speaker), he said the support for the Chief Minister has come down to112 following the withdrawal of support by 22 MLAs, was short of majority. The Government needed the support of 118 members in the 234-member Assembly. The total strength of the House was 233 (R K Nagar vacant due to Jayalalithaa’s death) and the DMK-Congress combine has 89 members. Hence the Governor should immediately direct the Chief Minister to seek a trust vote by convening the assembly in the next three days. Leaders of other parties, including VCK Leader Thol Thirumavalavan and Dravidar Kazhagam President K Veeramani also said since the Government lacked enough support, the Chief Minister should seek a trust vote and prove his majority in the Assembly.
