‘Agri’ Krishnamurthy challenges deserters to prove alleged bid to form government with DMK’s support

The AIADMK’s agricultural wing secretary and whip in the Assembly ‘Agri’ S.S. Krishnamurthy on Thursday challenged deserters to prove that party general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami had discussed with them the possibility of forming a government with the support of the DMK and its allies. 

In a statement, he recalled that all the 47 legislators who had won on the ticket of the AIADMK had met; adopted a resolution, electing Mr. Palaniswami the leader of the legislature party; and signed on a document to this effect. Between this day and the day on which 25 rebels had voted in favour of the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) government on the floor of the House during a trust motion, “can anyone of them say that the general secretary had told them about the government formation with the help of the DMK and its allies?”

Did the rebels not realise that their allegation about Mr. Palaniswami was false, when they had given a letter of regret for having violated the party’s directive, Mr. Krishnamurthy asked, adding that the party volunteers and people of the State would teach a “fitting lesson” to those who were running away to other parties for protecting their personal interests and not being loyal to the organisation that had sustained them. 

The party’s Member of Parliament (Rajya Sabha) I.S. Inbadurai, represented to the Election Commission in New Delhi not to hold by-elections in six assembly constituencies which had been declared vacant following the resignation of AIADMK’s legislators. As the disqualification proceedings were pending before four of the legislators, there should be no by-polls in the seats, he added.

Mr. Palaniswami announced that during July 6-9, the district-wise review of the party’s performance in the Assembly poll would take place, covering Thanjavur, Sivaganga, Ranipet, Tirupattur, Tiruvallur, Krishnagiri, Dharmapuri, Erode, Tiruchi and Tirunelveli. On Friday and Saturday, similar exercise would be held for Chengalpattu, Vellore, Tiruvannamalai, Ariyalur and Perambalur.

In another release, he announced that S.T.K. Jakkaiyan, former MP and MLA, who was the Theni (west) district secretary till recently, had been made an organisation secretary. The rebels, in their letter addressed to Mr. Palaniswami a few days ago, had mentioned Mr. Jakkaiyan along with others who had not been put back to their original position of district secretary.