TN Governor likely to wait for SC verdict before inviting Sasikala to take oath as CM

According to the channel, the Governor in a report to the Union Home Ministry cited the pending disproportionate assets (DA) case against Sasikala as the reason for her not being qualified to stake the claim.

Chennai: Tamil Nadu Governor C. Vidyasagar Rao may wait for the Supreme Court verdict on V.K. Sasikala's disproportionate assets case before inviting her to take oath as chief minister.

However, the Governor's office on Friday denied reports that he has written to the Union Home Ministry stating that it may not be possible for him to invite her for the swearing-in ahead of the pending DA case in the apex court against her.

Earlier. several PILs have been filed challenging her elevation as the Chief Minister, since "she has not been the General Secretary for a continuous period of five years", as mandated by the party's constitution, according to IANS.

The development comes even as the party feud escalated on Friday with Sasikala sacking party presidium chairman E Madusudanan who wrote to the Election Commission not to recognise her as General Secretary.

The Governor was said to be still evaluating legal opinion on Sasikala's claim to having an overwhelming support of party MLAs while the judgement of Supreme Court on disproportionate assets case against her was imminent next week.

On his part, Chief Minister O Panneerselvam tonight asserted that his camp would not allow the party to go into hands of 'a family' and that the "dream of those to capture power" will end as a "day dream".

Sending a strong message to her detractors, Sasikala sacked Madusudanan from the primary membership of the party, a day after he switched over to the rebel camp led by caretaker Chief Minister O Panneerselvam, and appointed former minister K A Sengottaiyan in his place.

Sengottaiyan was relieved as the party's Organisation Secretary, a post to which he was appointed last week.

Sasikala urged the party workers not to have any truck with Madusudanan and said they should extend their cooperation to Sengottaiyan.

Giving a major boost to the rival camp, Madusudanan yesterday extended his support to Panneerselvam, saying he wanted to "safeguard" the party.

"To protect AIADMK, everybody should join hands with OPS (Panneerselvam)," he had said.

Sasikala had removed Panneerselvam from the Treasurer post immediately after his revolt, but he has maintained that being a temporary general secretary, she does not have the powers to appoint or remove party functionaries. Insisting that he continues to be the treasurer, Panneerselvam has written to banks not to allow anybody else to operate the party accounts without his consent.

Sasikala had appointed another senior leader Dindigul C Srinivasan as the treasurer.

Hitting back at Sasikala, Madusudanan has written to the poll panel urging it to not to recognise her as AIADMK general secretary, saying she was not elected to the post as per party by-laws.

Madusudanan told reporters about the letter shortly before he was sacked from AIADMK by Sasikala for "acting against the party".

Asserting that only cadres can elect a general secretary as per party rules, Madusudanan said he had asked the EC not to recognise Sasikala as party chief.

Expelled AIADMK Rajya Sabha member Sasikala Pushpa has already petitioned the EC against the election of V K Sasikala, saying it was not done as per procedure and the EC has sought the party's response to it. "As per party by-laws, the general secretary can be

elected only by cadres. As per rules, there is no temporary General Secretary post," Madusudanan said.

A candidate for the general secretary's post should also have completed at least five years in the party.

"Since Sasikala re-joined the AIADMK only on March 31, 2012, she does not qualify to become general secretary. I have requested Election Commission not to accept her appointment," he said.

Meanwhile, a section of AIADMK MLAs owing allegiance to Sasikala have dismissed media reports and allegations by the Panneerselvam camp that they have been "detained" at a resort near here, and asserted that they were "free".

V C Arukutty, MLA from Kavundampalayam in Coimbatore and a supporter of Panneerselvam, alleged that the MLAs had been "detained" and were "not reachable."

"The MLAs are not reachable. They have been detained. They are legislators elected by people, so release them. Let them go and meet people," he told reporters here.

However, the MLAs owing allegiance to Sasikala rejected the allegations.

"We are free. We are keenly awaiting Governor's invitation (to Sasikala to form government). We are not children to be detained or abducted as is being reported in a section of media," Perundurai MLA ND Venkadachalam said.

Meanwhile, DMK Working President and Leader of Opposition M K Stalin met the Governor and urged him to ensure that a "democratically and Constitutionally valid" government was in place in the state through a "free-and-fair floor test" in the Assembly.

He submitted a representation in which he said the state administration cannot be allowed to "drift towards a dangerous destination" as it could lead to a complete breakdown of it.