Another AIADMK MLA quits a day after three joined Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Vijay’s TVK

Esakki Subaya, the AIADMK MLA from Ambasamudram, on Tuesday tendered his resignation from the Tamil Nadu Assembly, making him the fourth newly-elected legislator from the party to quit. Subay who met Speaker JCD Prabhakar and submitted his resignation letter, is expected to join P Sathyabama, Maragatham Kumaravel and S Jayakumar, who had quit AIADMK and joined ruling Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) on Monday.

Four AIADMK MLAs quit

Subaya is the fourth MLA from the rebel C Ve Shanmugam-SP Velumani camp, which wanted to join hands with Vijay’s TVK. With the four resignations, the AIADMK’s strength in the 234-member House has been reduced to 43 from 47.

Earlier, AIADMK chief Edappadi K Palaniswami had urged Speaker Prabhakar not to accept the resignation of three legislators. The Palaniswami camp cited alleged legal and procedural lapses behind the three MLAs' move. The party claimed the three MLAs joined the ruling TVK even before their resignation was notified.

What AIADMK said

Senior AIADMK leaders, 'whip' Agri SS Krishnamurthy and Rajya Sabha MP IS Inbadurai, met Speaker Prabhakar and submitted a representation urging him not to accept the resignation of Maragatham Kumaravel, P Sathyabama and S Jayakumar that has since been notified in a government gazette.

Krishnamurthy said that since their earlier plea seeking the disqualification of the 25 MLAs for defying party diktat to vote against the government in its May 13 floor test was pending before the Speaker, he cannot accept the resignation of the concerned legislators.

Speaker Prabhakar insisted he was performing his duties within the legal framework and the powers vested upon him. He said he accepts the resignation letters if they are in the prescribed format. "Other than that, I have nothing to say."

Will Subaya join TVK?

Subaya, a four-term MLA, on Tuesday refused to answer if he would join TVK. "It is not a sin to meet Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay. I will meet him if I get the chance," Subaya told reporters.

TVK accused of horse-trading

Reacting to the political developments in Tamil Nadu, Congress MP S Jothimani expressed concern over "horse-trading" and said her party should not support such moves by the ruling TVK since the national party itself has been at the receiving end of such maneuvers.

"It would be wrong if anyone from the Congress justified horse-trading. The first weapon that the BJP took to weaken democracy, and Congress is horse-trading," and used it against elected party governments, she alleged.

"Congress party can never take a dual stand of supporting horse-trading in Tamil Nadu and oppose it outside the state. If Congress performs as a force that weakens democracy, it will be a historic betrayal to Gandhi, Nehru and the ideology," she added.

The Congress, which had walked out of the DMK-led alliance post April 23 polls to support the maiden TVK government, is now part of the Vijay-led Cabinet with two ministers.

DMK leader R S Bharathi also lashed out at the TVK government, saying there seemed to be no difference between the Secretariat and the party office for them.

Meanwhile, Minister Sengottaiyan denied there were "horse-trading" attempts in the state.

"The state knows who did horse-trading, who tried to become chief minister with the help of DMK," he said in an apparent reference to Palaniswami, in the wake of some reports that DMK and AIADMK planned to join hands to prevent a TVK government post polls.