AIADMK cracks the whip on 9 leaders a day after defeat in RK Nagar bypoll

CHENNAI: A day after it was humiliated in the RK Nagar assembly bypoll, the ruling All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), on Monday, relieved four office-bearers of their positions and sacked five others for supporting rebel leader TTV Dhinakaran.

The decision was taken at a high-level meeting chaired by CM E Palaniswami (EPS) and deputy CM O Panneerselvam (OPS) convened to review the results of Sunday’s bypoll.

Those sacked from party positions are district unit secretaries P Vetrivel, NG Partiban, M Rengaswamy and Thanga Tamilselvan. VP Kalairajan, V Muthaiah, V Pghalendi and spokespersons Nazhil Sampath and CR Sarawathi were thrown out for antiparty activities, Palaniswami and Panneerselvam said.

Addressing the media after the meet, EPS and OPS said their arch-rival DMK had entered into a secret pact with Dhinakaran to destabilise Tamil Nadu’s ruling party. “Don’t forget, it was Dhinakaran who congratulated Stalin after a court acquitted DMK leaders A Raja and Kanimozhi in the 2G scam case,” OPS said.

Sunday’s result marked the first time that the ruling party lost a bypoll in the state since 1990. Dhinakaran’s win also raised a question mark on the longevity of the government as several MLAS are said to be in touch with him. The party’s action is being considered a move aimed to get party men in line.

Meanwhile, P Kalairajan, one of the leaders removed from party post, said, “they have no authority to remove any office bearer. We have general secretary Sasikala and deputy general secretary Dhinakaran (with us). The people have given their verdict as to who is the real AIADMK”.