‘Will protest if EC fails to hold bypoll’

“Bypoll must be held to Andipatti immediately after my withdrawal of the disqualification case. I will contest as a candidate of Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam on a symbol allocated by the EC and win the bypoll. If the Commission did not hold a by-election, I will mobilise people and conduct agitations,” he told reporters at his home turf Andipatti.

He also plans to persuade more legislators in his party to withdraw the case and face the bypolls since Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam deputy general secretary TTV Dhinakaran had given freedom to the MLAs to choose their strategy.

“There are chances for more MLAs to join and withdraw the cases. We will meet in Chennai again and discuss the tactics to be adopted. I feel it will be good if all the 18 MLAs withdrew the disqualification cases,” he told reporters at Andipatti.

When questioned about withdrawal of his petition, Thangathamizhselvan, who is also the AMMK propaganda secretary, said he would discuss with legal experts the modalities to withdraw the case and complete the procedure in a few days.

He said opinion is divided on the question of a disqualified MLA contesting again and added that he would also consult about this with his lawyers. But, he asserted that he would withdraw the disqualification case even if he was barred from contesting again.

The Speaker did not disqualify Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam and his colleagues who voted against the government but disqualified the 18 MLAs without any reason, he said. Since the disqualification case in the Madras High Court had been referred to the third judge, it would take two to three years for the completion of the case, he opined. “We do not know when the final verdict will be delivered,” he said.

He also rejected the offer of Fisheries Minister D Jayakumar that the disqualified MLAs would be taken back by the ruling party and strongly denied reports that he would join the Chief Minister’s camp along with eight MLAs.

The disqualified MLA said he had lost his trust with the judiciary and asked why a time frame had not been fixed to hear the case when 18 constituencies in the state are without legislators for the last nine months.