AIADMK’s Esakki Subaya resigns to join TVK; fourth exit in two days

ALl bharat Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) legislator Dr Esakki Subaya, from the company’s SP Velumani and C Ve Shanmugam sect, representing the Ambasamudhram gathering constituency met Tamil Nadu assemblage speaker JCD Prabhakar on Tuesday and tendered his resignation. He is the fourth party MLA to do so in two days.He joined Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) following the footsteps of his colleagues Maragatham Kumaravel (Madurantakam reserved), P Sathyabama (Dharapuram reserved) and S Jayakumar (Perundurai) who tendered their resignations on Monday and were formally inducted in the TVK.After submitting his resignation, Subaya called on TVK ministers N Anand and K A Sengottaiyan at the Secretariat and was formally inducted into the ruling party.Subaya presented shawls to the two TVK ministers.AIADMK’s Edapaddi K Palaniswami (EPS)-led faction and Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) called this move “horse-trading”.The split in the AIADMK surfaced in the assembly on May 13, when 25 MLAs from the C Ve Shanmugam - S P Velumani faction extended their support to the ruling TVK during the crucial floor test.Also Read: AIADMK cries ‘horse-trading’ after 4th Tamil Nadu MLA resigns in 24 hours, seeking to join TVKAIADMK won 47 seats in the assembly polls. The remaining 22 lawmakers remained with the EPS faction.Subaya who has won three times in the Ambasamudram seat in Tirunelveli district, said he took this decision after hearing comments from the people in his constituency.“My priority is solely the people of my constituency. This action (tendering of resignation) is taken keeping only their welfare in mind. I have no personal likes or dislikes of my own. I have taken this decision for the sake of my constituency’s people,” Subaya said.Asked whether he would call on the chief minister, he said, “Meeting the CM is not a sin nor is it bad. If given an opportunity, I will meet the CM, who is governing well today.”DMK President M K Stalin said, “Those who projected themselves as a clean force (Thooya sakthi) have now been exposed. They have become a tragic force. TVK engineered the resignation of AIADMK MLAs and made them join the party in the Secretariat itself.”EPS called this ‘vulgar politics’ and ‘horse trading’ introduced by the TVK.Congress MP S. Jothimani, regarding the ‘horse-trading’ remark said that the party cannot adopt different standards for Tamil Nadu and other states.The Parliamentarian from Karur said, “As a party in the alliance, Congress would stand with the CM C Joseph Vijay  to deliver efficient governance, but cannot support all the measures that TVK decides.”“It would be wrong if anyone from the Congress justified horse-trading. The first weapon that the BJP [Bharatiya Janata Party] took to weaken democracy...” she said.“Congress party can never take a dual stand of supporting horse-trading in Tamil Nadu and opposing it outside the state. If Congress performs as a force that weakens democracy, it will be a historic betrayal to Gandhi, Nehru and the ideology,” she added.