Chennai: Former Minister and sitting Perundurai MLA Thoppu N D Venkatachalam, who was sacked from the AIADMK on Friday, as he filed nomination papers for the Assembly elections as an independent candidate against the AIADMK candidate, is getting ready to take on Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami and Deputy CM O Panneerselvam.
“I am still very much in the AIADMK. They (EPS and OPS) don’t have powers to sack me. I will continue to be the member of the party,” he said.
In a statement Friday, AIADMK coordinator Panneerselvam and joint coordinator Palaniswami said Thoppu Venkatachalam was being expelled from all positions and the primary membership of the party for anti-party activities. The statement said Venkatachalam had violated party rules and brought discredit to the AIADMK.
They said since he had filed his papers against the party’s official candidate, he was expelled from the primary membership of the party and relieved of all party posts and urged the AIADMK cadres not to have any links with him.
Earlier this week, miffed over denial of ticket, the sitting MLA filed his nomination papers as an Independent candidate from the Perunthurai Assembly constituency.
Venkatachalam was second sitting MLA of the AIADMK to be expelled from the party.
A couple of days ago, sitting MLA C Chandrasekaran, who was elected from Senthamangalam in Namkkal district in the 2016 Assembly polls, was denied ticket this time and filed his nomination papers as an Independent candidate from the same seat.
However, a couple of later he was expelled from the primary membership of the party.