According to sources former Union minister and Congress leader P Chidambaram came down heavily on the Tamil Nadu government and Speaker for disqualifying 18 MLAs of the TTV Dinakaran camp. Meanwhile in a tweet, Chidambaram wrote “Speaker's decision to disqualify MLAs blatantly partisan and to help minority TN Govt. Nothing can save sinking ship.”
Further in direct reference to the Tamilnadu government that has been juggling with numbers in the Assembly, Chidambaram said no such action can help a sinking ship. Currently four days after Speaker P Dhanapal told the Madras High Court that action has begun to disqualify MLAs supporting Dinakaran, he disqualified all the 18 MLAs under Schedule 10 of the Indian Constitution which deals with the anti-defection law.
Meanwhile with Monday’s move, the total strength of the AIADMK has now come down to 116 and of the total 234 legislators, the number is now 231 excluding Jayalalitha, Karunanidhi and the Speaker. Accordingly with 18 MLAs disqualified, the total number comes down to 213 and the halfway mark is 106.
