AIADMK spokesperson and veteran politician Panruti S. Ramachandran on Wednesday alleged that the DMK indulged in violence in the Legislative Assembly during the voting on the Motion of Confidence moved by Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami last week, as it was driven by the ulterior motive of toppling the AIADMK government.
Mr. Ramachandran, at a press conference held at the ruling party’s headquarters, said the DMK’s demand to conduct a secret ballot on the Motion of Confidence was against law, democracy and Parliamentary proceedings,
Recalling Supreme Court advocate Sanjay Hegde’s article in The Hindu that secret ballot as part of the floor test would also violate the anti-defection law, Mr. Ramachandran said the secret ballot would also prevent the voters from knowing the conduct of their representatives in the Assembly and in Parliament.
“If the DMK members had read the article, they would not have pressed for a secret ballot. It would have set a wrong precedent,” he said.
“Suppose there is a vote on divesting 50% of the share of a transport corporation, how will people know who are the MLAs who voted for it and favoured private bus operators? We can never pass the demand for grants for various departments if there is a secret ballot,” he argued.
‘Hurry warranted’
Asked about the accusation that the trust vote was conducted in a hurry without giving adequate time for the MLAs to make up their mind, he said the sooner the better. “The Governor directed the Chief Minister to conduct the trust vote in 15 days. But it was done in two days. Is it not good? What would have happened if the members were prevented from coming to the House,” he asked.
Mr. Ramachandran rejected the demand of the DMK for adjourning the trust vote, explaining that there was a difference between a session which lasts for six months and a sitting that lasts for a day. The Speaker could certainly reiterate his point if there was no clarity and din in the House when he presented a point in a sitting.
“The Assembly is not just the ruling party and the opposition. What is important is quorum to make the proceedings of the House valid,” he said, responding to the allegations that the trust vote was conducted after evicting the opposition members.
“The Speaker evicted only those who had obstructed the House. He did not evict the Congress members, but they staged a walkout,” he added.
Alleging that the DMK came to the House with motives, he claimed that in the beginning, the party wanted to remain neutral but later decided to vote against the government.
“They expected some MLAs to switch camps and it would result in the fall of the government. They expected a repeat of what happened in 1989 when the AIADMK entered the poll arena as two groups, paving way for the victory of the DMK,” he alleged.
The AIADMK leader also justified Speaker Dhanapal invoking his caste identity, saying he had expressed his anguish and only those who faced discrimination as Dalits would understand his position.
