In an apparent bid to stem any further erosion in his party against the backdrop of four of his MLAs meeting chief minister Jayalal-ithaa, actor-politician and Opposition leader Vijayakanth on Monday sought a meeting with her to discuss constituency-related issues.
Vijayakanth and four of his party MLAs have given a letter to Speaker V. Dhanapal requesting him to arrange a meeting with the chief minister, DMDK whip in the Tamil Nadu Assembly J. Chandrak-umar told reporters here.
The move is being seen as an attempt by Vijayakanth to keep his flock together even as speculation is rife that more of his party MLAs could call on the chief minister, sparking rumours that they could switch loyalty to the ruling AIADMK. It is not much a common sight in state political circles where MLAs of a rival party call on a chief minister.
Jayalalithaa and Vijayak-anth were earlier this year involved in a direct face-off on the floor of the Assembly, prompting the AIADMK supremo to regret her party’s tie-up with DMDK for last year’s Assembly polls. Mean-while, the four MLAs — K. Tamil Azhagan, S. Sunde-rarajan, C. Michael Rayap-pan and Arun Pandian — who had called on the chief minister last week, were given separate seating in the Assembly.
***
Congress MLA joins ysr party
Hyderabad, Oct. 29: A Congress MLA in Andhra Pradesh on Monday joined the Y.S. Jagan Reddy-led YSR Congress (YSRC), dealing a blow to the ruling party. M. Rajesh, the legislator from Chinta-lapudi in West Godav-ari district who met YSRC honorary president Y.S. Vijayamma at her Lotus Pond residence here, later said he was quitting the Congress forthwith and would also resign from the MLA post soon.
“It was the late Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy who gave political life to me. His sudden demise left me distraught. I continued in the Congress only to complete some development works in my constituency,” the MLA said. “I am a relieved man, now that I have returned to the YSR family,” Rajesh noted. The first-time MLA had sailed closely with YSRC president and Kadapa MP Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy for some time after YSR’s death. — PTI