The Move Forward party’s “sacking” of deputy House speaker Padipat Suntiphada from the party Thursday night has come under heavy criticism by Pheu Thai and Democrat party members, calling the decision a “shameful political gambit.”

Tankhun Jitt-itsara, head of the Democrat party’s human rights and gender equality promotion committee, described the decision to sac” Padipat from the party as an “unparalleled and shameful political gambit” to claim the opposition leader’s post for its leader Chaithawat Tulathon, and to keep Padipat as the deputy House speaker, albeit under a different political banner.

He said that such a decision will plunge the dignity of the deputy House speaker to a new low, adding that he might ask the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) to investigate the ethical conduct of Padipat.

Government chief whip Adisorn Piengkes, of the Pheu Thai party, called the sacking of Padipat as “an act of burglary, a hidden love affair”.

On his Twitter account Adisorn wrote today (Friday) that he voted for Padipat to become the deputy House speaker because he did not want to see “a reptile turned into a cobra” [SIC], but voted for him so he could protect the dignity of parliament “but, sadly, nothing is left.”

He also re-tweeted his earlier poem, citing the Asian koel (eudynamys scolopaceus) which is a bird known to lay its eggs in the nest of a crow and to let them be hatched by the crow.

The Move Forward MP, meanwhile, defended his decision to continue in his role as the first deputy House speaker, citing three main reasons.  First, to improve the efficiency and transparency of parliament. Second, to maintain his neutrality in parliament and third, to do his job the best he can in the public interest, especially for his constituents in Phitsanuloke province.