Subtly welcoming the rescinding of Tiruvaur by-election, Stalin on Monday said the people of Tiruvarur would have been disappointed and angered if the election was conducted without completing the cyclone relief works there.

 

Recalling his earlier statement raising apprehension over the EC announcing election only for Tiruvarur, Stalin, in a statement issued on Monday, said the election would have created a great setback to cyclone relief works and completely discouraged people from exercising their franchise, which would not help the cause of democracy.

 

More than winning the election, the DMK was of the view that, cyclone relief works should not be disrupted, Stalin said. The rescinding of Tiruvarur bypoll announced by the EC, obliging all parties and people would be welcomed by all, Stalin added, urging the EC to conduct election to all 20 vacant Assembly seats in a day along with the ensuing Lok Sabha elections.

 

Party’s gram sabha meetings from Jan 9 to Feb 17, Meanwhile, Stalin who chaired a meeting of party MLAs at party headquarters Anna Arivalayam after the day’s proceedings in the Assembly announced that he would launch the Gram Sabha meetings of the party at Tiruvarur on January 9.

 

Originally scheduled for January 3, the gram sabha meetings of the principal opposition party were deferred owing to the ongoing Assembly session which began on January 2. The DMK has planned to organise the meetings in all 12,617 panchayats of the state to gear up for the Parliamentary elections. DMK treasurer Duraimurugan and principal headquarters secretary TR Baalu would inaugurate the meetings at Erode and Kancheepuram respectively, a release issued by the party late on Monday said.

Earlier, in another statement, Stalin asked the state government to relieve higher education secretary Mangath Ram Sharma from his post and initiate department proceedings against him following the order of the Madras High Court instructing the city police commissioner to arrest and produce him in the court. The High Court had passed the order owing to the secretary’s failure to appear before it in a contempt case. Also demanding the immediate sacking of state Sports Minister Balakrishna Reddy who was convicted in a criminal case, Stalin said their continuance in office has put the state to shame.

The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court on Monday issued notice to the Election Commission (EC) directing it to file its reply before January 22 on when it would hold bypolls to 18 Assembly seats, represented by rebel AIADMK MLAs, who were disqualified.

A writ petition filed by Vedha alias Dhamodharan of Veerapatti village, Thirumangalam Taluk in Madurai district came up for hearing before a Division Bench of Justices KK Sasidharan and PD Audikesavalu. The petitioner claimed that it was the bounden duty of the respondents to take necessary steps to fill the vacancies of 18 legislative constituencies of Assembly by conducing by-elections.

 

The MLAs of the 18 constituencies were declared disqualified by the Assembly Speaker after they made representation to Governor against a ‘no confidence motion’ moved by the Opposition party. Their disqualification was upheld by the High Court and the MLAs did not take up the case before the Supreme Court. Since then nearly 27 lakh voters had no representatives in the Assembly to take up their issues, the petitioner said.

 

He further said that the EC has put the Constitution in cold storage by delaying the conduct of bypolls for the vacant seats. Therefore, the petitioner sought the bench’s direction to these respondents to conduct bypolls within a stipulated period. On hearing the petition, the bench adjourned the case to January 22.

Though the EC announced bypoll for the Tiruvarur constituency, which fell vacant after the death of former chief minister and DMK president M Karunanidhi (it has since been rescinded), it did not announce by-elections for the 18 constituencies, following which the present petition was filed.