New Delhi: Several leaders from Tamil Nadu, including 15 former MLAs and a former MP, joined the BJP here on Wednesday as the ruling party looks to strengthen its presence in the southern state ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.
AIADMK leaders, including former minister Gomathi Srinivasan, joined the BJP in the presence of Union ministers Rajeev Chandrasekhar, L Murugan and BJP state president K Annamalai in New Delhi on Wednesday.
The 15 MLAs include former DMDK MLA K Thamizh Azhagan from Thittakudi and former Congress MLA R Thangaraju from Andimadam. Two former AIADMK MLAs, SE Venkatachalam from Salem and Muthukrishnan from Kanyakumari, who recently joined the BJP during Annamalai’s ‘En Man En Makkal Yatra’, were also present on the occasion.
Speaking on the occasion, KP Ramalingam, who oversees the programme, told reporters: “This is just a beginning. Former MLA has just come forward. The present MLA will join BJP later. After the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, one-third of the sitting DMK MLAs and half of the sitting AIADMK MLAs will join the BJP. Other people have contacted us in this regard. All the former MLAs who have joined BJP today have come from areas where there is ‘N Maan N Makkal’. The ‘journey’ is over. People have welcomed the Yatra tremendously and they have started realizing nationalism and spiritualism as their principles. All these former MLAs had served the people for a long time. He has been in the public eye since the establishment of AIADMK (1972). ) We welcome them all.”
AIADMK leaders are proud to say that the party remained intact despite many trials and tribulations after the death of former chief minister J Jayalalitha. Now, there has been a major exodus of former AIADMK MLAs. Trying to downplay the development, senior AIADMK leader and former minister in Coimbatore SP Velumani said only retired people were joining other parties.
Those who joined the BJP at the BJP headquarters in New Delhi on Wednesday included: Former AIADMK MLAs – K Vadivel (Karur), Challenger Duraisamy (Coimbatore), PS Kandasamy (Aravakurichi), MV Rathinam (Pollachi), R Chinnasamy (Singanallur). ), Gomathi Srinivasan (Valangaiman), VR Jayaraman (Theni), SM Vasan (Vedasanthur), PS Arul (Bhuvanagiri), R Rajendran (Kattumannarkovil), Selvi Murugesan (Kangayam) and A Rohini (Kolathur), S Gurunathan (DMK – Palayamkottai ) R Thangaraju (Congress Andimadam). Former DMK MP from Chidambaram V Kulandavelu also joined BJP.
