DMK MLA presses for notifying Jayalalithaa's constituency as vacant

CHENNAI: DMK today continued its attack on arch rival AIADMK, with a party MLA petitioning Assembly Secretary to notify the Srirangam assembly constituency, represented by former Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa, as vacant in the wake of her disqualification as MLA following the four-year jail term awarded to her in a graft case.

DMK South Chennai District Secretary J Anbazhagan, perceived to be a confidante of party Treasurer M K Stalin, alleged "ulterior motives" behind the non-notification of the vacancy even ten days after the court verdict.

Consequent to the Bangalore court verdict in the illegal assets case, Jayalalithaa was "disqualified from holding the office of MLA and has demitted the office of Chief Minister" with O Panneerselvam replacing her, he said in a letter to Assembly Secretary A M P Jamaludeen, copy of which was released to media by the DMK headquarters.

The Supreme Court had clearly held that disqualification operates from the moment the conviction was made by the competent criminal court, he said adding "...on the contrary, your inaction to notify the vacancy of Srirangam Assembly constituency even after 10 days is clearly due to ulterior motives and malafide intention and for extraneous reasons."

He further claimed that despite Jayalalithaa's conviction and imprisonment, her photographs were still being displayed in the assembly premises as well as Assembly Secretariat, which he described as "illegal and unlawful" and sought their removal.