AIADMK has lost its majority in Tamil Nadu with dissent of 21 MLAs: Stalin

Leader of Opposition in the Tamil Nadu Assembly M K Stalin has alleged that the ruling AIADMK in the state has "lost its majority" with the dissent by 21 of its MLAs and the DMK-led opposition commanding a strength of 98 in the House.

"With the DMK and its allies having a strength 98 MLAs in the Assembly and the ruling party's 21 dissenting legislators, the AIADMK government, led by K Palaniswami, has lost its majority in the House," he told a public meeting here last night.

Stalin said the DMK and its allies, the Congress and the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), would "point out this arithmetic" to Governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao later today.

The opposition parties have sought an appointment with the governor to apprise him of the "prevailing issues" in the state.

Stalin warned of a "people's struggle" to unseat the AIADMK government, if no action was taken.

"This is not for grabbing power, but to safeguard the self-respect of the people of Tamil Nadu," he said.

The opposition leader's comments have come at a time when Chief Minister Palaniswami is locked in a tussle for power with sidelined AIADMK deputy general secretary T T V Dhinakaran, who is seeking his ouster.

In the 234-member Tamil Nadu Assembly, which has one seat vacant (R K Nagar, represented by late J Jayalalithaa), the AIADMK has 134 MLAs, excluding the speaker. The opposition DMK has 89 legislators, its allies Congress eight and IUML one.

The Dhinakaran camp has been pressing for the ouster of Palaniswami as chief minister since the factions, led by the latter and his predecessor O Panneerselvam respectively, merged on August 21.

A group of 19 MLAs, loyal to Dhinakaran, had met the governor on August 22 and expressed lack of confidence in the chief minister, prompting the opposition parties to demand a floor test in the Assembly.

Stalin also took a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying that despite claiming to be from the backward class, he was doing "injustice" to the BC community in the country.

The DMK leader said several problems, including farmer suicides and fishermen's issues, had remained unsolved under the Modi regime, adding that the National Eligibility-cum- Entrance Test (NEET) was the latest in the list.