Chennai: DMK has approached Madras High Court seeking a direction to the Governor to immediately call the ruling AIADMK to prove its majority in the Assembly.
In his petition, DMK Working President M.K. Stalin wanted the floor test to be conducted under the supervision of an independent observer appointed by the High Court and to direct Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami not to take any major policy decision pending disposal of the writ petition.
Two days after Stalin met Governor seeking direction for a floor test, he filed the petition stating 19 MLAs of the ruling party, belonging to the faction headed by TTV Dhinakaran, gave individual letters to the Governor on August 22 saying they were withdrawing support to the government headed by Palaniswami.
“As the Leader of the Principal Opposition party of the House, I also seek an immediate floor test. Many more MLAs, who had voted in support of the present chief minister, began to withdraw their support,” he said.
“At present, at least 21 of AIADMK MLAs and 98 MLAs of DMK and its alliance have expressed their unequivocal no-confidence in the present government. Hence, it is abundantly clear that the incumbent Chief Minister has lost confidence of most MLAs of the House.”
The Governor, in abdicating his Constitutional duties, is clearly working in tandem with the party in the power, and deliberately delaying the trust vote. Delay in directing immediate floor test is liable to encourage horse trading and give rise to unsavoury political manipulations in the state, the petition read.
The minority government planned to remove MLAs opposing the trust vote in case it was announced. The Governor is required to perform his constitutional responsibility in a fair and objective manner in accordance with the provisions of the constitution and law. The exercise of such power is not a privilege but a matter of performance of official duty. The petition would come up for hearing soon.
