Two former Tamil Nadu ministers, including dissident leader S Muthusamy who had questioned AIADMK chief Jayalalithaa's style of functioning, were today expelled from its primary membership.
Two former Tamil Nadu ministers, including dissident leader S Muthusamy who had questioned AIADMK chief Jayalalithaa's style of functioning, were today expelled from its primary membership for "anti-party" activities.
Announcing the decision, Jayalalithaa said Muthusamy, after "betraying" AIADMK, had planned to join rival DMK.
Muthusamy had ignored her repeated invitations to meet her and did not attend the party's executive meeting here on May 26 despite being the party's organising secretary, she said adding, he had chosen only to send her a letter.
Muthusamy's close associate M Chinnasamy, former minister, VK Chinnasamy, former MP and C Manikkam, former AIADMK MLA, were also expelled from the party.
Muthusamy had raised a banner of revolt alleging that members of the erstwhile faction of Janaki, wife of AIADMK founder MG Ramachandran, including himself, have been sidelined and a family close to Jayalalithaa was controlling the party.
A confidant of MGR, Muthusamy was the transport minister of the state from 1980 till MGR's death in 1987. He served as health minister in Jayalalithaa's ministry from 1991, before he was defeated at the hustings in 1996. He had been keeping a low profile for some time after being denied ticket for the assembly and Lok Sabha polls.
He had recently indicated to his supporters that he might opt for DMK and was likely to meet chief minister M Karunanidhi tomorrow to enroll himself as a primary member of the ruling party.
Chinnasamy was the industries minister in the Jayalalithaa ministry.
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