Jayalalithaa sacks former AIADMK MP Malaisamy for hinting at alliance with BJP

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa Thursday expelled former Rajya Sabha MP K. Malaisamy from the AIADMK, a day after he said the AIADMK may back a BJP-led government. Jayalalithaa accused Malaisamy of bringing "disrepute to the party" by making statements contrary to the party's policies.

She urged all party members not to have any truck with Malaisamy. The chief minister gave no specific reason why action had been taken against Malaisamy, a retired IAS officer. A day earlier, Malaisamy had said that the AIADMK could extend support to a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance government if the need arose.

Jayalalithaa had earlier told the media that she would comment about the party's strategy only after the Lok Sabha election results were declared Friday. Going it alone in the general election, Jayalalithaa had said the BJP or the Congress would always side with Karnataka where their political stakes are high and would not share Cauvery river water with Tamil Nadu. Different exit polls have predicted that the AIADMK would win anything between 20-32 parliamentary seats out of 40 seats (39 in Tamil Nadu and one in Puducherry) it contested.