A government that has its MLAs “locked up” cannot function independently and will likely be anti-people, Union Minister of State for Shipping Pon. Radhakrishnan said here on Friday referring to the new AIADMK government headed by Edappadi K. Palaniswami that was sworn-in on Thursday.
Talking to The Hindu , he alleged that the Government would not be able to function independently, since the MLAs were in no position to elect their leader freely. They were not in a position to even think independently. To protect the MLAs, who ought to be in MLAs’ hostel, the ruling party had housed them in a resort, he claimed.
This was a pointer to the style of governance that was to come if Mr. Palaniswami were to prove his majority. This also highlighted the Tamil Nadu police’s failure in protecting the elected representatives, he charged.
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“No sooner had O. Panneerselvam become a former Chief Minister than his estranged party colleagues started hurling stones at his residence. Where is the State headed,” he asked.
Pale shadows
It was time the voters of Tamil Nadu looked beyond the two Dravidian parties — the AIADMK and the DMK — because the two were now pale shadows of what they were originally.
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According to him, the Central Government would extend its cooperation as it favoured cordial relationship with all State governments. Soon, it would appoint a governor for the State as the incumbent Ch. Vidyasagar Rao was holding only an additional charge.
At present, given the political uncertainty and developments that take place every hour, the State needed an experienced and able governor and it had one in Mr. Rao, who had acted in an impartial manner. Once Tamil Nadu enjoyed political stability, the Centre would appoint a full-fledged governor, he said.
On the appointment of T.T.V. Dinakaran as deputy general secretary of the AIADMK, he said it was an internal affair of the party.