DMK writes to Assembly Secretary for a No-Confidence Motion against Speaker

M K Stalin said his party has done this after trust vote which Palaniswami won with a 122-11 margin

The opposition DMK on Tuesday submitted a letter to Tamil Nadu Assembly Secretary AMP Jamaludeen for a No-Confidence Motion against Speaker P Dhanapal.

The DMK's move came a day after party Working President and Leader of Opposition in the Assembly M K Stalin said his party will move a No-Confidence Motion against the Speaker in the backdrop of the February 18 trust vote which Chief Minister E K Palaniswami won with a 122-11 margin.

"We have given a letter to the Assembly Secretary for bringing a No-Confidence Motion against Speaker Dhanapal," Stalin told reporters at the Secretariat here.

A copy of the letter has been submitted to the Speaker as well, he said.

"During the session on February 18, the Speaker acted with ulterior motives. On that basis, given that there is no confidence on him, we have submitted the letter seeking a No-Confidence Motion against him," he said.

Stalin on Monday had said DMK would move a No-Confidence Motion against Dhanapal, accusing him of "deliberately harping on his community to malign" the opposition party.

His statement had come in response to Dhanapal's charge on Saturday after the confidence vote faced by Palanisamy that he was perhaps targeted by the DMK during the ruckus for hailing from a particular community.

"When we see that the Speaker is deliberately harping on his community to maligns us, it is very regrettable. It is a matter of shame, according to us, for Tamil Nadu," Stalin had 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," he had said.

The DMK has 89 MLAs in the 234-member Tamil Nadu Assembly.

On Saturday, amidst chaotic scenes involving the DMK which eventually led to eviction of its members enmasse, the Palaniswami government won the trust vote by the huge margin.