PUDUCHERRY: The local unit of AIADMK on Friday urged the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) to reject Chief Minister N Rangasamy’s recommendation for the appointment of nominated MLAs to the territorial Assembly. Speaking to journalists here, AIADMK’s Puducherry unit secretary A Anbazhagan claimed that the CM had submitted a list of names for the appointment of three nominated MLAs, to the Lieutenant Governor. Alleging that the move was meant to “augment the strength of the AINRC government,” he said that the nominated MLAs should be appointed before the election of the Speaker.The AINRC, which secured 15 seats in the polls to the 30-member Assembly, formed the government with the support of the lone independent, VMC Sivakumar. But now, with Rangasamy, who was elected from two constituencies on May 23, resigning from one of the two seats, the AINRC’s strength has come down to 14 . “The independent VMC Sivakumar has distanced himself from the swearing in ceremony of the ministers. This has raised doubts on the question of majority strength,” Anbalagan said. “It was this independent member whose support to the Rangasamy-led government that projected a simple majority for the government. The Lt Governor should not act in haste without taking the ground realities into consideration,” he added.Further, he said that as the Union Territories Act was silent on the voting rights of nominated MLAs, such MLAs should not be used to establish the majority of a government. The nominated MLAs were appointed in an advisory capacity from various fields . The MHA has the powers under the Union Territories Act 1963 to decide on the nominated members without necessarily being approached by the territorial government, he noted. “It is not necessary that the incumbents are the ones recommended by the territorial government,” he claimed, adding that the Governor should ask the CM to establish the majority of his government.The AIADMK would submit a letter to the Lt Governor registering its protest against CM’s move.
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