Two days after failing to get its way in the Tamil Nadu Assembly, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) today said it would soon move a no-confidence motion against Speaker P Dhanapal as it called all to join the party's hunger protests on February 22.
The announcement was made by DMK working president and leader of opposition in the Assembly MK Stalin press conference here, indicating a possible trial of strength for the AIADMK government, which only on Saturday won the Trust Vote by 122-11 margin.
Stalin was responding to Dhanapal's charge on Saturday after the confidence vote faced by Chief Minister E K Palanisamy, that he was perhaps targeted by the DMK during the ruckus for hailing from a particular community.
He accused the Speaker of "deliberately harping on his community to malign" the party.
"When we see that the Speaker is deliberately harping on his community to malign us, it is very regrettable. It is a matter of shame according to us, for Tamil Nadu," Stalin said.
"Therefore we will move a no confidence motion (against Dhanapal). Signatures of 34 of our MLAs are enough for that and the (Assembly) rules mandate that it (motion) should be taken up within 15 days. On that basis, we will be soon giving it," he added.
DMK has 89 MLAs in the 234-member Tamil Nadu Assembly. On Saturday, amidst chaotic scenes involving DMK which eventually led to eviction of its members enmasse, the Palaniswami government won the trust vote by the huge margin.
The 11 votes were cast by rebel AIADMK leader and former Chief Minister O Panneerselvam and his supporters.
Referring to the eviction of DMK members from the Assembly on February 18, Stalin said all the opposition parties wanted the Speaker hold a secret ballot to decide on the confidence motion moved by Palaniswami.
The other option suggested was to adjourn the house for a week and then take up the confidence motion and both were rejected by the Speaker P. Dhanapal, Stalin said.
"We protested inside the Assembly in a peaceful manner. However police wearing assembly marshal uniform forcibly removed us," Stalin said.
Party legislators will bring a no-confidence motion against the Speaker, he said.
He expressed satisfaction at the functioning of the Governor C. Vidyasagar Rao.
Stalin said the DMK party will hold series of protests till this AIADMK government was removed. He also said appointment to meet President Pranab Mukherjee has been sought to brief him about the happenings in Tamil Nadu.
Narrating the sequence of events that happened in the state after the death of AIADMK leader J. Jayalalithaa till the former Chief Minister Panneerselvam's revolt and the passage of confidence motion Stalin said the people of this state were opposed to this rule and the government has to be removed.
"This is people's problem and they have to come out and protest," Stalin said calling for the support of students, government employees, trade union members and others.
He said people are angry at Chief Minister K. Palaniswami and the legislators supporting him were not able to go to constituencies.
