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Replace OPS as deputy Leader of Oppn, AIADMK urges speaker
This is the third time the AIADMK has approached the Speaker on the matter since Panneerselvam was expelled last July.
Chennai: More than a dozen All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) legislators on Friday met Tamil Nadu Speaker M Appavu urging him to replace expelled O Panneerselvam with R B Udhayakumar as their party’s deputy leader of opposition in the state assembly.
They have also requested a change in seating arrangement since colleagues-turned-rivals Panneerselvam and AIADMK general secretary and leader of opposition Edappadi Palaniswami are seated together in the present arrangement.
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This is the third time the AIADMK has approached the Speaker on the matter since Panneerselvam was expelled last July. This also comes ahead of Tamil Nadu’s monsoon session in the assembly in October. The Speaker has not acted on their previous requests and the AIADMK refrained from attributing it to political bias. “We just want the Speaker to take a decision on this soon,” said AIADMK MLA K A Sengottaiyan. “He told us it is under consideration.” If the Speaker still doesn’t act, he said, AIADMK general secretary and leader of opposition Edappadi Palaniswami will decide on the next course of action.
The AIADMK’s strength in the 234-member assembly is 66. OPS has the support of three MLAs while the majority are backing EPS. During the previous assembly session in January too they sat together without speaking to each other. Last October, Palaniswami walked out of the assembly session with his supporters since the Speaker didn’t change the seating arrangement. At that time the speaker had said that he “is bound to recognise all the MLAs”. The Palaniswami-led AIADMK also elected Udhayakumar internally as their deputy leader of opposition. The Speaker is yet to react to AIADMK’s third letter.
