CHENNAI: AIADMK led by coordinator O. Panneerselvam and joint coordinator Edappadi K. Palaniswami on Fridaysacked over 150 dissidents, including former minister G. Senthamizhan and ex-DMK minister Parithi Ilamvazhuthi who joined in 2011, from the party for “bringing disrepute” to the organisation.
Panneerselvam and Palaniswami made the announcement in a joint press release and asked the party workers not to have any truck with the expelled members. Majority of the dissidents who were booted out are from the party’s South Chennai (South) and Cuddalore West units.
While Senthamizhan was a minister for a short period in the 2011-16 AIADMK rule, Ilamavazhuthi is a former DMK minister who joined the ruling party in 2013. Both Sentham-izhan and Ilamavazhuthi are supporters of sidelined party leader TTV Dhinakaran, who won the December 21 RK Nagar bypoll, necessitated due to the death of late Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa in December 2016.
“They were sacked for acting in contravention to the party’s policies and ideals and for bringing disrepute to it. They are being expelled from all their present posts, besides from AIADMK’s primary membership,” the leaders said in the statement. The leaders began sacking party workers supporting Dhinakaran after his resounding victory in RK Nagar by-poll in December last year.
