Probe into Jaya’s Death Will Get Sasikala a Life Term, Says Stalin
DMK had moved the Madras High Court seeking to declare the vote of confidence in the Tamil Nadu Assembly null.
- On Wednesday, DMK went on a hunger strike to protest the vote of confidence won by Palanisamy and the ruckus in Assembly prior to that
- The high court adjourned the hearing of DMK’s plea challenging the vote till Monday
- The court asked for the video of the ruckus in the Assembly
- DMK’s MK Stalin held Sasikala responsible for Jayalalithaa’s death
- Stalin to meet the President today
MK Stalin to Meet the President Today
DMK’s MK Stalin said that he met with Tamil Nadu Governor Rao and briefed him about the ruckus that ensued in the Assembly on Saturday.
He added that he, along with other senior members of the party, are going to meet the President in Delhi and explain the situation to him.
Stalin Holds Sasikala Responsible for Jaya's Death
Launching a direct attack at Sasikala, DMK’s MK Stalin said that if Jayalalithaa’s death is probed, she’d be in jail for life.
He added that the “hunger protest which we are undertaking today is not for us. It is against the benami rule established in Tamil Nadu”.
HC Adjourns Case Till Monday; Asks for Video of Ruckus
The Madras High Court has adjourned the hearing of DMK’s plea challenging Tamil Nadu Chief Minister E Palanisamy’s trust vote in the Assembly till Monday.
The court has asked the petitioners to submit videos of the ruckus that ensued inside the Assembly on Saturday before the floor test finally began.
Meanwhile, DMK MLAs are continuing with their hunger strike in Trichy in protest of the ruckus.
AIADMK MLAs Filed Complaint About Being Caged at Resort: Advocate
Speaking to the media outside the court, Advocate K Balu has said that they “have proof that AIADMK MLAs were kept at Golden Bay resort for 11 days and also that many filed complaint about being caged.”
Earlier, an MLA, who had claimed to have escaped the resort, had filed a case against Sasikala and Palanisamy under three sections, including kidnapping.
There Is No Secret Ballot in Assembly: Senior AIADMK Leader
On Saturday, MLAs from the Opposition and Panneerselvam’s camp vehemently called for a secret ballot in Tamil Nadu Assembly ahead of the trust vote.
Reacting to the request, senior AIADMK leader Panrutti Ramachandran said that secret ballot is against the anti-defection law.
While addressing the media, he added that the DMK is spreading rumours on vote of confidence.
DMK's Protest Begins in Tamil Nadu, High Court Yet to Announce Verdict
DMK working president MK Stalin led party workers in a hunger strike protest in Trichy.
Party workers are protesting the eviction of its MLAs from the Tamil Nadu Assembly on 18 February. The DMK had moved the Madras High Court on 20 February, seeking to declare the trust vote as being null and void. The HC is expected to deliver the verdict later today.
DMK spokesperson and lawyer Saravanan had told The News Minute that, "The vote of confidence in Assembly on Saturday is a nullity because the resolution was introduced twice. In addition to this, the DMK leaders were illegally evicted from the Assembly."
DMK Refuses to Accept EPS as CM
The party had announced that workers would go on a strike across all its district offices in the state to protest the ruckus in the Tamil Nadu Assembly during CM EPS’ trust vote.
On 19 February, MK Stalin announced that the party would go sit on a hunger strike to protest the vote of confidence won by Edappadi K Palanisamy. Stalin alleged that the motion of confidence moved by the CM was adopted in the absence of the entire opposition on Saturday.
The DMK also appealed to Tamil Nadu Governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao, urging him to "nullify the entire proceedings" to "protect the spirit of democracy and the Constitution".
An FIR for unlawful assembly was filed against the DMK after party workers held a protest at Chennai’s Marina Beach on Saturday.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)