2 DMDK MLAs dare Vijaykant to dismiss them

"We went and met the Chief Minister to discuss problems of people. If they feel it is a mistake, let them dismiss us," Radhapuram MLA C Michael Rayappan said.

Another DMDK legislator, S Sundararajan, echoed a similar view and challenged his party chief to resign and face elections.

"We went (to meet the Chief Minister) for our people. Aren't they also doing the same thing?" he asked in an apparent reference to Vijayakant and four other party MLAs seeking appointment to meet Jayalalithaa to discuss constituency-related issues.

Sunderarajan said "all of us could resign and face elections."

The two were speaking after attending an official function presided over by Jayalalithaa to pay homage to freedom fighter Pon Muthuramalinga Thevar.

Besides these two, legislators Arun Pandian and K Tamil Azhagan had met the Chief Minister last week, sparking off speculation that they might switch loyalties.

DMDK, which fought the assembly polls last year in alliance with AIADMK, has 29 members in the House. However, the ties between the two turned sour within months and Jayalalithaa openly declared about the break of ties in the assembly.

Reacting to the MLAs meeting Jayalalithaa, Vijaykanth has said he would work for defeating the AIADMK in the next Lok Sabha elections.