AIADMK expels 132 ‘TTV supporters’ from party
CHENNAI : The ruling AIADMK continued its crackdown on the rebel TTV Dhinakaran camp by sacking more than 130 functionaries on Friday for bringing “disrepute” to the party.
Party coordinator O Panneerselvam and co-coordinator K Palaniswami announced “removing” 132 persons from the party’s district units of Tirupur, Pudukottai and Dharmapuri.
The two leaders said in a statement that 65 people from Tirupur, 49 from Pudukottai and 18 from Dharmapuri units were also being removed as they went against the party’s principles and brought “disrepute” to the AIADMK.
“Party workers are requested not to have any truck with them,” Palaniswami, also the chief minister, and his deputy Panneerselvam, said in a party statement. Panneerselvam and Palaniswami “relieved” one person from his party post in Dharmapuri.
Stung by the bypoll defeat, the ruling AIADMK on December 25 cracked the whip against nine party functionaries, sacking four of Dhinakaran’s aides and expelling five others.
The two leaders had warned of action against those who “betrayed” the party, and had expelled 44 people on Thursday.
In a jolt to the ruling camp, Dhinakaran secured an emphatic win in the December 21 RK Nagar by-election defeating its candidate E Madhusudhanan by a thumping margin of over 40,000 votes.