Connect with us

National

Rebel MLAs ‘distanced’ themselves from AIADMK: Speaker

Published

on

Chennai, Sep 19 (IANS) The 18 dissident AIADMK MLAs were disqualified as they “distanced” themselves from their party and fell “into the control of persons outside their party” besides aligning with the DMK, Tamil Nadu Assembly Speaker P. Dhanapal has held while holding that they had “voluntarily given up their membership” of the AIADMK.

In a 22-page order disqualifying them, the Speaker quoted judgments of the Supreme Court and other courts to justify his action under the anti-defection law and rules made under that law in the Tamil Nadu Assembly.

He gave his ruling on a petition by AIADMK chief government whip S. Rajendiran against the 18 MLAs allied with sidelined leader T.T.V. Dinakaran that their action of giving a memorandum to the Governor that Chief Minister E. Palaniswamy lacks their confidence amounted to voluntarily giving up their membership of the party on whose symbol they were elected.

“It is crystal clear that their act is unilateral and would amount to voluntarily giving of the membership of the political party to which they belong,” Dhanapal said in his order recalling various actions of the rebel group since giving a letter to the Governor on August 22.

He rejected their defence that they have not voluntarily given up their party membership and that merely meeting the Governor would not amount to giving up of membership or defection from the party. According to them, their act was completely covered by the judgement of Supreme Court in Balachandra L. Jarkiholi and others vs. B.S. Yeddyurappa and others (2011) case.

The chief whip had contended that the dissident MLAs had voluntarily give up their membership of AIADMK by making false allegations aginst the Chief Minister who was unanimously elected as the legislature party leader. They had also “embraced” a totally different ideology from that of the AIADMK by disassociating themselves from the decision of the party.

The Speaker cited an August 21 letter in which Dinakaran claimed that the Chief Minister had acted against AIADMK’s policies and joined hands with former Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam and his group. According to that letter, Palaniswamy was facing corruption allegations and that most AIADMK (Amma) MLAs had expressed their displeasure against the Chief Minister.

“Accordingly, he had instructed the MLAs to meet the Governor and to withdraw the earlier support given to Palaniswamy. As per the said letter, the same would ensure that a fresh Chief Minister is selected from the party in order to run the government,” the Dinakaran letter said.

The Speaker held neither this letter nor the alleged intention of the majority of the party MLAs was mentioned the representation given by the MLAs to the Governor.

“The representation given to the Governor is not based on the majority of the party MLAs. If so, the majority of the party MLAs would have met the Governor and not 19 MLAs giving identical but individual representations,” the Speaker said.

“In fact, by claiming on one hand that they acted at the instance of the party and on the other hand that they are not part of the majority of the MLAs belonging to the party, the respondents are only subscribing to the fact that they are not part of the party itself. The above discussions would only lead to the conclusion that the respondents have in fact unidentified themselves with the AIADMK Party,” the Speaker’s order said.

Rejecting the contention of the MLAs, who cited the Supreme Court judgement in the case between Ravi S. Naik Vs Union of India and others on the scope of the expression “voluntarily giving up his membership”, Dhanapal said: “It has been categorically held therein that the expression ‘voluntarily given up membership’ has a wider connotation. That even in the absence of formal resignation from membership an inference can be drawn from the conduct of a member that he has voluntarily given up his membership of a political party to which he belongs.

“Applying the said principle, from the facts of the case and the admission of respondents in their written comments, it is crystal clear that from their conduct they have voluntarily given up their membership of the political party, AIADMK, to which they belong. There could be no other inference.”

He said in the light of the facts and the MLAs admission to have met the Governor and communicating they had lost confidence in the Chief Minister clearly would attract disqualification.

The Speaker also referred to a meeting the Leader of the Opposition M.K. Stalin had with the Governor after the dissident AIADMK MLAs and sought a floor test on the ground that the MLAs of the ruling party had withdrawn their support to the Chief Minister.

“I cannot view this as an isolated act or an unconnected incident. It is quite evident that the respondents herein have deviated from their loyalty to their party and have voluntarily taken the side of an opposition party.

“In my view even though the respondents have not submitted any letter of resignation to the AIADMK and claim they continue in the party, this act of them followed by the representation of the Leader of the Opposition cannot be lost sight of. It is quite clear from the sequence of events that the respondents are acting in concert with the leader of the Opposition.

The Speaker also dismissed the contention of the dissident MLAs that not enough time was given to them for adducing evidence in support of their claims. He dismissed their demand for cross- examination of the Chief Minister and others saying proceedings before him were not like a civil court.

–IANS
vsc/mr/vd

Continue Reading

National

Foodman Vishal Singh Honored for Hunger Free World Mission in Bangkok

Published

on

By

Lucknow: Vishal Singh, a renowned social worker from Lucknow, also known as Foodman, has once again made India proud. He was honored by the Happy Hands Gloves Cooperative Limited Company in Korathai, Thailand, for his work with the Hunger Free World Mission.

The Hunger Free World Mission’s meeting was held in Korathai, Thailand, under Vishal Singh’s leadership. Representatives from several countries, including Mr. Raja Dwivedi (Managing Director of Happy Hands Gloves Limited), Thailand Coordinator Mr. Raja Mishra, and member Mr. Varun Singh, attended the event.

Under Vishal Singh’s leadership, the attendees took a pledge to work together toward creating a hunger-free world.

Speaking on the occasion, Vishal Singh explained that the main goal of the Hunger Free World Mission is social participation. He said the mission is not just about feeding people but also about meeting other basic needs of those who are struggling. The mission focuses on helping families of terminally ill patients in hospitals by providing food and shelter. It also works to fulfill essential needs like education, jobs, and care for the elderly.

For the last 16 years, the Vijay Sri Foundation has been providing free services, benefiting thousands of people. Vishal Singh highlighted that the mission aims to gain global recognition like other organizations such as WHO, WWF, and Red Cross, which work for social causes.

During this meeting, Vishal Singh was appointed as the Chairman of the Hunger Free World Mission by representatives from various countries. They also discussed holding regular meetings in different countries to push the mission forward.

Business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has also supported this humanitarian mission, vowing to promote the idea of “Seva Parmo Dharma” (Service is the highest duty) worldwide. Vishal Singh praised him, stating that people like Dr .Abhishek Verma inspire others to work for the betterment of society.

Recently, Romania’s Ambassador, Mr . Daniela Sezonov Ţane, invited Vishal Singh to the Romanian Embassy in Delhi, where they discussed the mission in detail. Impressed by his humanitarian work, she honored Vishal Singh and invited him to Romania to take the mission forward .

Food man Vishal Singh has been serving the people of India for the past 16 years. Through the Vijay Sri Foundation, he provides free meals to cancer patients & their families ,shelter, and education for women & children along with running free old-age homes in Lucknow.

In addition to his humanitarian work, Vishal Singh also addresses issues like crime and corruption through his role as Chairman of Seva Path Media and Managing Director of Vijay Sri Foundation.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Vishal Singh and his team worked tirelessly to provide food and help to the needy, including starving children, elderly citizens, and pregnant women. Despite contracting the virus himself, he continued to assist others after his recovery. He even created a life-saving oxygen regulator using household items, which was praised by doctors both in India and abroad.

In his address at the meeting, Vishal Singh spoke about his mission to create a hunger-free world. He pointed out that India’s large population, along with issues like unemployment and poverty, has caused the country to fall on the Hunger Index. He urged people to contribute just one handful of grains daily to help create a hunger-free world.

He concluded by saying that through social participation, we can empower the people around us, meet their basic needs, and work together to build a stronger, more prosperous, and developed society.

Continue Reading

Trending