Chennai: “I will question (at the general council meeting on Tuesday) why he should not be expelled for indiscipline and anti-party activities”, said AIADMK senior E. Madhusudhanan, commenting on party's Perambur legislator P. Vetrivel's unsuccessful attempt to derail the general council meeting by moving the Madras high court against it.
“Vetrivel came to our party from the Congress and he wants to inject the Congress's culture of indiscipline into our party in the hope he could destroy it. But nobody can destroy the AIADMK launched by MGR 42 years ago and nurtured by Amma as a strong fort. I will expose his (Vetrivel) criminal corruption very soon”, the north Chennai strongman told DC soon after the high court verdict dismissing Vetrivel's petition challenging the convening of the general council.
“I went to jail 40 times during the MGR time and nine times during Amma's time. Loyal workers like me have toiled for the AIADMK but Sasikala and company sought to ruin it through corruption that brought disrepute. We will clean it up”, said Madhusudhanan.
Vetrivel
Who is Vetrivel?
Ruling AIADMK legislator from Perambur in north Chennai has been known as a 'strongman' in the local politics even from his younger days as the follower of G. K. Moopanar-first in the Congress and later when GKM launched his Tamil Maanila Congress.
He jumped to the AIADMK and won Jayalalithaa's appreciation for his 'booth-management' skills during the elections and other related party work. However, he reportedly earned her wrath during his days as a councilor in the city corporation.
Vetrivel got back into Amma's good books when he 'sacrificed' his RK Nagar seat to enable her to contest in the by-election in 2015 so as to return as Chief Minister following the acquittal by the Bengaluru high court in the Disproportionate Assets case.
For his 'loyalty' and 'sacrifice', Vetrivel was rewarded with the post of North Chennai district secretary of the AIADMK and was elected from Perambur in the 2016 Assembly election.
When Jayalalithaa died, Vetrivel threw his weight behind the Sasikala family and became the main swordsman, along with Andipatti MLA Thanga Tamilselvan, for TTV Dhinakaran's war on Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami and deputy CM, O. Panneerselvam.
