Chennai: As income-tax sleuths swooped on premises owned by him for alleged tax evasion, the former Electricity and Excise minister ‘Natham’ R. Viswanathan was on Monday removed as the AIADMK Organising Secretary and from membership of the media panel.
In a press release issued by the AIADMK Headquarters, party supremo J. Jayalalithaa said Mr Viswanathan is being removed as Organising Secretary of the party.
“He is also being relieved from the post of member of the media panel,” the release said, quoting the AIADMK chief. The action by Ms Jayalalithaa came within an hour of IT raids at premises belonging to Mr Viswanathan, who held powerful portfolios during the previous tenure of the AIADMK Government from 2011-2016.
As reports said he fell out of favour from the party high command just before the 2016 Assembly elections, he was shifted from his ‘safe’ Natham constituency to nearby Athoor where he was fielded against DMK strongman I. Periyasamy.
