Back to ‘resort’ politics: Why Tamil Nadu's MLA huddle isn't unique
Since Monday last, high-voltage political melodrama is taking Tamil Nadu by storm, with a battle of wits between caretaker chief minister O Panneerselvam and chief minister-in-waiting VK Sasikala. The most surprising move though came from Sasikala, who after a meeting with MLAs on February 8, loaded them all into buses and packed them off to the Golden Bay resort near Kalpakkam, effectively sequestering them so that they do not defect to Panneerselvam’s camp.
But this isn’t the first time such a political drama is unfolding. Tamil Nadu and several other states have seen similar developments in the past, with varying results.
1982, Haryana
When Devi Lal squirreled away 48 of his MLAs to a Delhi hotel in 1982 to keep them away from Bhajan Lal, one of the legislators actually escaped to the rival camp after sliding down the hotel's water pipe.
1984, Andhra Pradesh
NT Rama Rao was dismissed and an upstart called Nadendla Bhaskar Rao installed as chief minister in Hyderabad. NTR, as the popular film star turned politician was known, asked for a day to prove his majority while the upstart was given a month by the Governor to prove his. As a precaution, NTR confined his loyalist MLAs to a resort in Mysore.
1995, Gujarat
In September 1995, rebel BJP leader Shankersinh Vaghela, who wanted to topple Keshubhai Patel, diverted the road trip of 47 MLAs he had got together and huddled them into a plane to Madhya Pradesh. Vaghela put the MLAs in a five-star hotel for seven days.
1998, Uttar Pradesh
The BJP flew its legislators in a chartered plane to Delhi and kept them at a secluded location to prevent Loktantrik Congress of Jagdambika Pal from poaching them after the Kalyan Singh government was dismissed by Governor Romesh Bhandari. Pal replaced Singh and became CM for 48 hours. Singh won the floor test and became CM again.
2000, Bihar
The Congress and RJD packed their MLAs from south Bihar (present day Jharkhand) in a Patna hotel to thwart Nitish Kumar from luring them. Nitish became CM for seven days when the RJD failed to submit its list of supporters within the stipulated time but finally lost votes on floor of the house.
2003, Jharkhand
When a handful of MLAs loyal to JD(U) minister Lalchand Mahato toppled the first Babulal Marandi government in 2003, Mahato packed all 41 legislators into an AC bus and took them off to an unknown destination.
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| Sasikala, after a meeting with MLAs on February 8, loaded them all into buses and packed them off to the Golden Bay resort near Kalpakkam. [Photo: Agencies] |
2005, Bihar
A group of Lok Janshakti Party MLAs were packed in a Jamsedhpur (Jharkhand) hotel to help Janata Dal (United)-BJP combine form a non-RJD government. The BJP in Jharkhand provided logistical support to the MLAs.
2005, Jharkhand
To prevent the Arjun Munda government from falling, the BJP transported about half a dozen independent MLAs to a resort in Rajasthan. But a year later, these legislators supported Madhu Koda, who formed the government with the help of the Congress and the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD).
2007, Arunachal Pradesh
Dorjee Khandu, had engineered a rebellion against then chief minister Gegong Apang, to become CM. He reportedly kept a group of 20 legislators in a resort in Gurgaon.
2010, Rajasthan
In June 2010, the BJP in Rajasthan confined its 66 MLAs in a luxurious hotel — a comfortable place with AC, booze and good food, in an attempt to ensure winning numbers for its Rajya Sabha candidate Ram Jethmalani.
2016, Uttarakhand
Both the Congress and BJP sent their MLAs to resorts before a crucial trust vote in the Uttarakhand assembly (on Supreme Court’s direction) to prevent horse trading. The Congress won the vote.
2016, Karnataka
The Karnataka Congress reportedly put independent MLAs in a hotel in Mumbai to prevent poaching by rival BJP before the Rajya Sabha polls. But it faced a lot of criticism, after which the legislators were allowed to come back.
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