MDMK seeks disqualification of two MPs

Chennai, July 25 (UNI) The Marumalarchi DMK (MDMK) today sought the disqualification of two of its MPs, L Ganesan and Gingee N Ramachandran, for voting in favour of the UPA Government in the trust vote, defying the party whip.

A day after expelling the two rebel leaders from the party's primary membership, MDMK Parliamentary party leader C Krishnan petitioned the Speaker, seeking their disqualification.

In separate petitions, Mr Krishnan said the two MPs faced disqualification as they had defied the whip issued by him to vote against the Congress-led UPA Government in the trust vote on July 22.

Mr Ganesan and Mr Ramachandran, who were MDMK Presidium Chairman and Deputy General Secretary respectively, had raised a banner of revolt against the party leadership against its decision to align with the AIADMK, prior to the 2006 Assembly elections.

After they were divested of their posts in January last year, the two leaders were functioning separately, claiming that they represented the real MDMK.

After they threw their weight behind the DMK, the two MPs, pledging their support to the UPA Government, openly declared that they would vote in favour of the government.

Only recently, the Election Commission, on a petition by MDMK General Secretary Vaiko, held that the party headed by him was the real MDMK.

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