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An internal rift within All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) became evident on Monday during the oath-taking ceremony of MLAs at the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly as the legislators were seated in separate groups inside the House.
According to sources, MLAs aligned with the party's General Secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami and another faction associated with CV Shanmugam sat separately during the oath-taking proceedings, highlighting the reported internal differences within the party. This comes days after the 28 AIADMK MLAs reportedly were accommodated at a private resort in Poorankuppam in Puducherry during the intense political activity over government formation in Tamil Nadu after TVK's Vijay emerged victorious. The move has triggered speculation in political circles as reports suggested that the MLAs are supporters of senior AIADMK leader CV Shanmugam. However, AIADMK did not align with TVK, which was 10 short of the majority mark of 118. Vijay later received support from other parties, including Congress, VCK, Left parties and IUML to form the government in Tamil Nadu. Today, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay took oath as a member of Tamil Nadu assembly at the secretariat in Chennai. The oath was administered by protem speaker MV Karuppaiah. Along with Vijay, all the MLAs also took the oath. Yesterday, in his first speech after being sworn in as Tamil Nadu CM, Vijay expressed his will to run a "transparent government", noting that he would perform all actions "openly." He also accused the previous DMK government of emptying the state's treasury. "After reviewing everything, I intend to release a white paper to the people. I want my government to be a transparent government. That is the very first thing I want to do. As far as Tamil Nadu is concerned, if I need to meet someone, I will not do it secretly or behind closed doors. Whatever I do, I will do openly and transparently. I request all of you to give me some time. I will gradually fulfil everything I have promised and will sincerely strive to implement them. This is your government. I will ensure strict safety for women," CM Vijay said. Pointing out the 'poor financials' of the state, while blaming DMK, Vijay continued, "Today, the condition in which our Tamil Nadu government has been left is something I have seen for myself. The last government has gone out after borrowing debts of more than Rs 10 lakh crore; the treasury has been completely emptied before they left office. It is in such a situation that we have taken charge. I am not saying this for effect; only after going inside and seeing things firsthand can one understand what is there and what is not." The TVK chief also signed the first set of documents after taking the oath of Tamil Nadu CM, which gave nod to 200 units of free power supply and Special Task Forces to tackle drugs and ensure women's safety. (ANI)
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