Chennai: In a dramatic turnaround, five MLAs from the rebel camp led by C Ve Shanmugam and S P Velumani sought reconciliation with the AIADMK leadership on Monday. This development has thinned the rebel camp from 25 to 17, as three other MLAs had resigned and joined the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK).
Anti-Defection Deadline Looms
The rebel camp is left with just three days to iron out differences and reconcile with AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami to escape the anti-defection law, which is set to come into effect on May 28. “We submitted a representation to the governor on May 14, seeking action against the rebel MLAs for cross-voting. Legal action will be initiated 15 days from the date of submission. If the action is initiated, they will lose their MLA post in three months. So, they have no choice but to seek Palaniswami’s mercy,” said a senior AIADMK leader, who had submitted the petition to the governor and provided a copy to assembly speaker J C D Prabhakar.
Five MLAs Apologize
Affirming this shift towards reunification, the five MLAs—P Haribaskar (Anthiyur), S M Sugumar (Ranipet), Dr Dilipan Jaishankar (Sankarankoil), M S Nataraj (Kangayam), and K Mohan (Panruti)—called on Palaniswami at his Greenways Road residence in Chennai. They offered apologies for defying the party whip and cross-voting on May 13 to ensure the safe passage of the TVK government during the trust vote. “Our leader accepted their apology, and they will be spared from the anti-defection law,” said a senior functionary in Palaniswami’s camp. Later in the day, the lawmakers met the Speaker and submitted a representation from Palaniswami requesting “not to initiate action” against them.
Rebel Camp's Internal Discussions
Meanwhile, Velumani and other senior leaders, including K P Anbazhagan and K Kamaraj, held a marathon discussion at C Ve Shanmugam’s residence to explore their dwindling options. Shanmugam wanted to approach the court to maintain the party’s status quo as of May 5, a move intended to undo Palaniswami’s action of removing them from their district secretary posts and other party positions for cross-voting. Velumani and the others, however, did not yield, successfully dissuading Shanmugam from further complicating the situation.
Conditions for Reconciliation
Though they are ready to reconcile and continue under Palaniswami’s leadership, they remain keen on constituting a high-level committee to safeguard their interests. The rebel MLAs are also struggling to keep the rest of their group intact as TVK chief coordinator and minister K A Sengottaiyan and his cabinet colleague Aadhav Arjuna are working overtime to lure more MLAs and dissidents from AIADMK. Aadhav offered an open invitation on Monday that they would welcome AIADMK functionaries and cadres to continue their political journey with TVK.
