18 MLAs row: Speaker says rebelled legislators want to topple govt; can prove claim

Chennai, Oct 4: Tamil Nadu Assembly Speaker P Dhanapal today informed the Madras High Court that the 18 disqualified AIADMK MLAs were planning to topple the government and there is evidence to prove his claim. In his reply to a petition filed by the disqualified MLAs at the High Court, the Speaker said rebel AIADMK leader TTV Dhinakaran and his supporters Thanga Tamilsevan and Vettrivel had openly told the media that they would topple the government. "The legislators were disqualified well within the rights given to me by the Constitution," the Speaker said. Mr Dhanapal’s advocate Aryama Sundaram submitted a 500-page reply. Advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi who appeared on behalf of the disqualified MLAs said the Speaker did not give enough time for the legislators to respond. "Our legislators wanted the change of Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami and were not against the government. When someone who voted against the government (during the confidence motion moved in the House in February this year) can become the Deputy Chief Minister, why was our legislators disqualified? "The no-confidence letter given to the Governor was not against the government but against the Chief Minister. The legislators did not leave the party to use the anti defection law. The decision of the Speaker is biased," he argued. In a related development, the High Court on Wednesday ordered notices to Mr Dhanapal and Assembly Secretary, directing them to reply in the case filed by DMK to disqualify Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam and his supporters who voted against Palaniswami-led government during the trust vote held in February 2017. DMK whip R Chakrapani filed the petition which came up for hearing before Justice K Ravichandra Babu who ordered the Speaker and the Secretary to respond and adjourned the case to October 12. Similarly, hearing of the petition filed by DMK working president M K Stalin seeking the prevention of action on DMK MLAs by the Privilege Committee, for bringing gutkha packets to the Assembly, has also been adjourned. In the meantime, replying to a petition fi led to stop the inquiry commission from probing the death of former Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa, the government on Wednesday said it has the power to set up the commission and does not need the approval of the Assembly to do so. UNI