Palaniswami, AIADMK MLAs evicted from House over seat allotment amid OPS issue

AIADMK legislators were on Wednesday removed from the Tamil Nadu Assembly after they shouted slogans against Speaker M Appavu for not recognising R B Udhayakumar as the deputy leader of its Legislature Party and allotting him the seat next to Leader of Opposition Edappadi K Palaniswami in the House. 

Palaniswami, the AIADMK general secretary, raised the issue in the Assembly by mentioning that his MLAs have addressed the matter to him several times but to no avail. He also said the Speaker should declare O Panneerselvam, R Vaithilingam, and Manoj PH Pandian, as unattached members of the AIADMK as their expulsion from the party has been upheld by the Madras High Court. 

The Legislature Party in July 2022 removed OPS as its deputy leader following his expulsion from the AIADMK and elected Udhayakumar in his place. However, the Speaker has allowed OPS to occupy the seat next to EPS. 

“I have allotted seats according to the rule,” the Speaker said in response to Palaniswami’s demand that Udhayakumar should be allotted the seat next to him. When Palaniswami and AIADMK members continued with their ruckus, the Speaker asked them to be evicted from the House. 

With the Election Commission of India (ECI) recognising EPS as the general secretary of the AIADMK and ratifying the General Council meeting, the party believed that the Speaker will accept the recommendation of the AIADMK Legislature Party and act accordingly.

Speaking to reporters after being evicted from the House, Palaniswami alleged that the Speaker was going against the convention by not heeding to the AIADMK’s request. He added that the party has given 10 letters to the Speaker in this regard. 

“It is a convention that the deputy leader of Opposition is alloted the seat next to that of the Leader of Opposition. But the Speaker is not following the convention. We aren’t questioning his right to allot seats but he has to follow the convention. He can allot seats to other members in the manner he wishes to,” Palaniswami added. 

Palaniswami, who was joint coordinator of the AIADMK, struck unannounced at his boss Panneerselvam, who was the coordinator as part of a BJP-brokered peace in 2017, in June 2022 and got the bye-laws of the party amended to bring back the general secretary post, which was reserved for Jayalalithaa at the July 11 General Council meeting. 

After a legal battle lasting several months, the Supreme Court declared the General Council meeting that appointed Palaniswami as interim general secretary as valid, following which the AIADMK conducted organisational polls. Months later, the ECI followed suit by ratifying the decisions of the GC meeting.