TN guv Vidyasagar Rao refuses to convene assembly for floor test, draws ire of DMK
- The Governor said that the 19 legislators who withdrew their support from the Palaniswami government still belong to AIADMK.
- It is, therefore, inappropriate for the governor to interfere in party matters.
- Meanwhile, DMK's Stalin says that the governor is paving way for BJP to make a back-door entry.
FollowOn Wednesday, Tamil Nadu governor refused to preside over the legislative assembly to test the majority of the state government. This has triggered charges of bias by the opposition. Although a demand for floor test has been raised for many days to determine where the majority lies, the governor has been telling the opposition leaders that he can't intervene in a "party's issue".
The call for the floor test intensified after 19 members withdrew their support from the Palaniswami-led government. Despite that, Rao claimed that since the 19 members continued to members of AIADMK, it would not be right for him to interfere. Meanwhile, opposition leader and the working president of the DMK, M K Stalin said, "The governor is indulging in politics. We have been saying from the beginning that the Union government is behind everything that is happening in Tamil Nadu." he also alleged that the governor was supporting the BJP's efforts to make a back door entry into Tamil Nadu politics by destabilising the ruling party here. President of the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) party, Thol. Thirumavalavan, on Wednesday said, "The governor informed us that he is not in a position to interfere in the issue as the 19 MLAs (who withdrew support to CM) haven’t been expelled from the party nor have joined another party."
Meanwhile, Thirumavalavan, the state secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) G. Ramakrishnan, state secretary of Communist Party of India R. Mutharasan and president of Manithaneya Makkal Katchi M.H. Jawahirullah met the governor on Wednesday morning. They wrote a joint letter to the governor, requesting him to convene the “state assembly at once and request the present chief minister to seek a vote of confidence in the House.” Rao, however, reportedly said that the ball was yet to come to his court.
For now, it has been decided that the DMK, along with other opposition parties, will meet President Ram Nath Kovind on Thursday. Stalin, meanwhile said, "The President has agreed to meet us at 11AM (on Thursday). If action is not taken against the Tamil Nadu government even after meeting the President, we will consider legal action."
