NE NEWS SERVICE
PUDUCHERRY, JULY 10
Puducherry Assembly Speaker V P Sivakolundhu on Friday ordered disqualification of rebel Congress legislator N Dhanavelou under the provisions of the Anti-Defection Act.
Secretary to Assembly Mounusamy said that the Speaker issued the order disqualifying Dhanavelou as a member of the House invoking provisions of the Anti-Defection Act.
He said the Bahoor constituency from where Dhanavelou was elected to the Assembly in the 2016 polls has also been declared to have fallen vacant following the member’s disqualification.
Dhanavelu had been up in arms against the Narayanasamy-led Congress government since last year.
He had held a procession in his constituency in January to lay siege to the Primary Health Centre to protest against alleged shortage of medicines and ambulances in the hospital.
He had also levelled charges against the Chief Minister and presented a petition to Lt Governor a few days after holding the agitation.
A delegation of Congress legislators led by the government whip R K R Anandaraman presented a petition to the Speaker on January 30 seeking disqualification of Dhanavelou, who was also chairman of Puducherry government owned Civil Supplies Corporation (PAPSCO).
He was first suspended from the Congress on the basis of the recommendation of the high command whose attention was drawn by the PCC to “anti-party and anti-government activities of Dhanavelou.”
With his disqualification the strength of the Congress in the Assembly has come down from 15 to 14.
The Congress government enjoys the support of the three-member DMK in the House.
The Assembly has one Independent member, besides seven AINRC legislators, four AIADMK on the opposition side and three nominated legislators belonging to the Bharatiya Janata Party.
Dhanavelou is the second legislator of Puducherry Assembly to be disqualified during the last four years.
An opposition AINRC member Ashok Anand was disqualified in November 2018 following his conviction by a CBI court in an assets case.
