Tamil Nadu MLA Karunas moves plea to sack Speaker Dhanapal, DMK mulls support

CHENNAI: Two days after Speaker P Dhanapal held lengthy discussions with legal experts to issue show cause notice to actor S Karunas, MLA and three other MLAs supporting TTV Dhinakaran under the anti-defection law, Karunas, who is on conditional bail, has made another move by sending a  petition seeking to move a resolution in the Assembly for removing the Speaker charging that he is acting in a partisan manner.  

This is the second resolution against Dhanapal. The first resolution was moved by DMK on March 23 last year and it was defeated. While 122 MLAs opposed the resolution, only 97 from DMK and its allies voted for it. 

Karunas, in his resolution under Rule 68 of TN Assembly Rules alleged that Dhanapal was acting in a biased and partisan manner while conducting the Assembly proceedings. “There are numerous acts of Dhanapal demonstrating that he is not fit to hold the office and most of the MLAs were affected by his biased activities. Hence, MLAs are in a common intention to remove him from the post of Speaker,” he said.

S Alagiri, counsel for Karunas handed over the petition at the office of Assembly Secretary R Srinivasan. The resolution has to be taken up for discussion after 14 days of its receipt. Since the House is likely to meet only in January for the customary address of the Governor, till then the petition has to wait.

Meanwhile, amidst reports that Tirunelveli police might arrest Karunaas with regard to another case, the actor has been admitted to a private hospital at Vadapalani on Wednesday after he complained of chest pain and sweating. He is being treated in ICU.  

In a gesture of expressing solidarity, film producer and DMK MLA J Anbazhagan called on Karunas at the hospital and enquired about his health.  He told reporters that the DMK would consider supporting the resolution of Karunas when the Assembly meets again.

Karunas was arrested last week for allegedly making derogatory remarks against CM Edappadi K Palaniswami and was released on conditional bail.

Just after reports on Speaker’s discussions about sending notices to Karunas and three other MLAs under anti-defection law, Leader of Opposition MK Stalin charged that by disqualifying more MLAs, the present government was planning to reduce the number of MLAs required for proving the majority in the House once the verdict in the case relating to disqualification of 18 MLAs is pronounced.

Seeks advance bail

Expressing apprehensions of arrest, Karunas, who is presently admitted to a private hospital in Chennai, sought anticipatory bail from the Madurai Bench of Madras High Court on Wednesday. The case matter was adjourned for Thursday.