Chennai: The political uncertainty over government formation in Tamil Nadu deepened on Friday after Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (AMMK) General Secretary T.T.V. Dhinakaran met Acting Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar and alleged that one of his party MLAs had gone missing amid attempts to cobble together a majority in the fractured state Assembly.
Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) President C. Joseph Vijay, whose party emerged as the single largest formation with 108 seats in the 234-member Assembly, has been seeking support from other parties after falling short of the majority mark of 118.
Vijay had secured letters of support from the Congress, CPI and CPI(M), with the two Left parties extending outside support.
Armed with these letters, Vijay met Governor Arlekar for the third time on Friday and reiterated his claim to form the government.
However, the Governor once again refrained from inviting him to take oath, citing the lack of a clear majority.
Amid the continuing stalemate, Dhinakaran held a late-night meeting with the Governor and submitted a letter claiming that the AIADMK had the right to form the government.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, the AMMK Chief alleged that his party MLA Kamaraj had gone missing under suspicious circumstances and hinted at possible “horse-trading” by rival political forces.
“Our MLA is missing. We suspect this could be a case of horse-trading. We have not been able to contact him even over the phone. I informed the Governor that the matter must be investigated immediately,” Dhinakaran said.
According to the AMMK Chief, Kamaraj had been staying in Puducherry along with AIADMK legislators before his disappearance.
Dhinakaran claimed that the MLA Kamaraj had met him at his residence on Thursday morning and informed him that he was travelling to Puducherry to meet AIADMK MLAs.
“My assistant had gone to collect Kamaraj’s signature and he spoke normally at that time. Only after that did he disappear,” he said.
Dhinakaran also accused TVK of attempting to engineer defections despite projecting itself as a party committed to “clean politics”.
“People have given Vijay support in 108 Assembly constituencies. But that alone is not enough to form the government. Is it right to indulge in horse-trading from the very first day after claiming moral politics? We suspect TVK is behind this,” he alleged.
He added that the AMMK leadership would hold consultations with alliance partners before deciding on the next course of action.
(IANS)
