Stalin, Congress delegation meet Governor Vidyasagar Rao, demand CM Palaniswami prove majority in TN Assembly

Chennai: A delegation of Tamil Nadu opposition parties headed by DMK working president MK Stalin on Sunday urged Governor Vidyasagar Rao to direct Chief Minister K Palaniswami to prove his majority in Tamil Nadu Assembly. 

"We have demanded immediate floor test in Tamil Nadu Assembly. Governor has promised to act on this," Stalin told ANI after meeting the governor.

However, if the Governor does not respond to our request within a week, then we will have to take legal resort and mobilize people's mandate," Stalin said further.

"We have apprised the Governor of tally, which is - 89 DMK MLAs, 8 Cong MLAs, 1 IUML MLA which comes to 98. Also total rebel AIADMK MLAs are 21, thus making it 119 in total," he said.

Apprised Guv of tally - 89 DMK MLAs,8 Cong MLAs,1 IUML MLA which comes to 98,also Rebel AIADMK MLAs are 21,making it 119 in total: MK Stalin pic.twitter.com/vS1y4dW7SM — ANI (@ANI) September 10, 2017

A day before meeting the state Governor, Stalin alleged that the ruling AIADMK in the state has 'lost its majority' with the dissent by 21 of its MLAs and the DMK-led opposition commanding a strength of 98 in the House.

"With the DMK and its allies having a strength 98 MLAs in the Assembly and the ruling party's 21 dissenting legislators, the AIADMK government, led by K Palaniswami, has lost its majority in the House," PTI quotes Stalin as saying at a public meeting here on Saturday night.

Stalin said the DMK and its allies, the Congress and the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), would "point out this arithmetic" to Governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao later today.

The opposition parties have sought an appointment with the governor to apprise him of the "prevailing issues" in the state.

Stalin warned of a "people's struggle" to unseat the AIADMK government, if no action was taken.

"This is not for grabbing power, but to safeguard the self-respect of the people of Tamil Nadu," he said.

The opposition leader's comments have come at a time when Chief Minister Palaniswami is locked in a tussle for power with sidelined AIADMK deputy general secretary TTV Dhinakaran, who is seeking his ouster.

In the 234-member Tamil Nadu Assembly, which has one seat vacant (R K Nagar, represented by late J Jayalalithaa), the AIADMK has 134 MLAs, excluding the speaker. The opposition DMK has 89 legislators, its allies Congress eight and IUML one.

The Dhinakaran camp has been pressing for the ouster of Palaniswami as chief minister since the factions, led by the latter and his predecessor O Panneerselvam respectively, merged on August 21.

A group of 19 MLAs, loyal to Dhinakaran, had met the governor on August 22 and expressed lack of confidence in the chief minister, prompting the opposition parties to demand a floor test in the Assembly.

Earlier on August 31, a delegation of opposition parties, including the DMK, the Congress, the Communist Party of India (CPI) and the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPM) met President Ram Nath Kovind, demanding a floor test in the Assembly.

The opposition parties in Tamil Nadu claimed that the government has been "reduced" to a minority with 21 MLAs owing allegiance to T.T.V. Dinakaran's AIADMK faction withdrawing their support to Chief Minister E. Palanisamy and thereby, demanded a floor test.

CPM general secretary Sitaram Yechury, who was present at the meeting, argued that a party cannot rule a state if the party doesn't command the mandate of the state and believes that a floor test is the only way to come to a solution.