A fresh political row is brewing in Tamil Nadu over a fourth AIADMK MLA exiting from the party a day after three others, belonging to the Edappadi K Palaniswami faction, submitted their resignations to the speaker, reportedly seeking to join Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam. The move has drawn criticism from senior AIADMK leaders, who accused the party of “horse trading.”AIADMK MP Inbadurai seeks resignation of three MLAs who resigned. (Screengrab/PTI)Three AIADMK legislators, including Maragatham Kumaravel, P Sathyabama, and S Jayakumar tendered their resignations to speaker JCD Prabhakar on Monday and met Tamil Nadu Minister Aadhav Arjuna to join the TVK.Meanwhile, fourth MLA Esakki Subaya, met the speaker on Tuesday to submit his resignation, which was denied at first since it was typed and not handwritten. Minutes later, Subaya submitted a handwritten resignation, which was then accepted. AIADMK leaders allege ‘horse-trading’The AIADMK faction led by chief Edappadi K Palaniswami on Tuesday appealed to the speaker that resignations of the three MLAs submitted on Monday should not be accepted, citing alleged legal and procedural lapses behind their stepping down.The party claimed the three MLAs joined the ruling TVK even before their resignation was announced, news agency PTI reported.Senior leaders ‘whip’ Agri SS Krishnamoorthy, OS Manian, N Thalavai Sundaram and IS Inbadurai met the Assembly Speaker on Tuesday and sought the withdrawal of the resignations.Krishnamoorthy further claimed that a "laminated TVK membership card was given" to the three persons who resigned. He questioned the move by saying that if the “government encourages such resignations, there will be heightened horse trading; the government should come forward to stop this,” he said, according to PTI news agency.Noting that chief minister C Joseph Vijay had promised clean governance, the senior leader alleged, "To establish his rule through the back door, this government is doing horse-trading at the speed of a horse.”Why can’t the MLAs resign?Senior AIADMK leader IS Inbadurai, who is also the party’s Advocates’ Wing secretary, said that petitions seeking action against the 25 rebel MLAs under the anti-defection law were already pending before the Speaker. The petitions were filed after the legislators allegedly defied the party whip and voted against the government during the floor test.Inbadurai argued that, in view of the pending disqualification proceedings, the Speaker cannot legally accept their resignations."The legal issue is he (Speaker) can't accept their resignation," under such circumstances, he said, as reported by PTI.Inbadurai added that MLAs cannot resign when action under the anti-defection law is sought. "You can't escape through the back door.”"They met a TVK minister before notification of their resignation....and they enacted a drama of formal joining (late in the evening). Still, the notification of their resignation (in a government gazette) had not come. So we have sought that their resignation should not be accepted," he said, PTI reported.A source in the party said the three are likely to receive the TVK tickets to contest in the ensuing byelections on the party's whistle symbol, as reported by PTI.Speaker says resignation as per Assembly rulesDespite criticism from senior AIADMK leaders, speaker Prabhakar, who accepted the resignation of three MLAs on Monday, said that the resignation was as per the Assembly rules and were submitted in person."Dharapuram MLA Sathyabama, Madhuranthakam MLA Maragatham Kumaravel, and Perundurai MLA Jayakumar have formally submitted letters resigning from their positions as Members of the Legislative Assembly with effect from today. Since the resignations were found to be in order as per Assembly rules, they have been accepted. MLAs must submit their resignation letters in their own handwriting and present them personally, without sending them through others. If this procedure is not followed, an inquiry may be conducted. As they submitted the letters directly in person, a decision was taken immediately," JCD Prabhakar said, news agency ANI reported.DMK chief MK Stalin criticises moveThe move sought criticism from DMK chief MK Stalin, who termed it as "horse trading" at a "horse speed."In a post on X, Stalin criticised TVK for being a "force of misery" and asked if the people cast their votes for the ruling party "merely to witness such disgraceful spectacles."He recalled the factional split within the AIADMK camp during the trust vote, saying, "'Horse-trading' proceeding at 'horse-speed'! Scene 1: In the absence of a majority, the TVK seeks support from the leaders of its alliance partners. Scene 2: Negotiating a price to secure the supportive vote of a faction within the AIADMK during the confidence motion--while also picking up an AMMK member as a bonus. Scene 3: Orchestrating the resignations of certain AIADMK members and inducting them into their own party--right within the premises of the Secretariat itself."Congress MP slams ‘horse-trading’ moveThe allied party also criticised the move, with Congress Tamil Nadu MP, S Jothimani, saying that the party cannot adopt different standards for TN and other states.As an alliance party, Congress will stand with TVK founder and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay to deliver efficient governance, but "cannot support all the measures that TVK decides.""It would be wrong if anyone from the Congress justified horse-trading. The first weapon that the BJP took to weaken democracy, and Congress is horse-trading," and used it against elected party governments, she alleged, according to PTI."Congress party can never take a dual stand of supporting horse-trading in Tamil Nadu and oppose it outside the state. If Congress performs as a force that weakens democracy, it will be a historic betrayal to Gandhi, Nehru and the ideology," she added.