Ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, the ruling Congress-DMK combine has found a potential issue to raise against the Opposition alliance after two Congress MLAs complained to the Speaker of attempts to lure them by the All India N.R. Congress (AINRC) and its alliance partner the All Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK).
Hours after Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami and AINRC chief N. Rangasamy signed an agreement in Chennai on Thursday assigning the lone Lok Sabha seat to the principal Opposition party, the Speaker received complaints from the Congress MLAs E. Theeppainthan, representing Oussudu constituency and V. Vizeaveny, representing Nettapakkam Assembly segment. Both are reserved Assembly segments.
The MLAs, in their complaint, alleged that their counterparts and leaders in the AINRC and the AIADMK had approached them several times over phone and personally to switch sides. In their complaint, they said both the parties made several offers, including Ministerial berths if they changed loyalties.
Charges denied
However, the AINRC and the AIADMK have termed the allegation as a mere election year tactics to polarise votes on caste lines.
Sources close to Speaker V. Vaithilingam said he was consulting legal experts to decided on further course of action on the complaints.
The Congress in the past had accused AINRC of indulging in horse trading to topple its government. In the 30-member Assembly, the Congress-DMK combine has 17 members and has the support of an Independent.
With the nomination of three members, the strength in the Assembly had gone up to 33 and a party or combine needed to garner the support of 17 MLAs to form the government.
The AINRC, which is the principal Opposition party in the Assembly, seven members after Ashok Anand got disqualified following his conviction by a special court of the Central Bureau of Investigation in a disproportionate assets case. The AIADMK has five members. With the three nominated MLAs of the BJP, the strength of the opposition parties has gone up to 15, two less than the ruling alliance number.
The Congress had accused the Centre of making the “unilateral” nomination of three BJP members with an intention to topple its government. The Congress, while resolving to fight the nominated legislators in the Supreme Court, had opposed giving voting rights to the new members.
