Former All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) minister and party spokesperson resigned on Friday, a day after four former ministers, including two MLAs, resigned from the party, deepening the crisis within the main opposition outfit in Tamil Nadu.
S Vaigai Selvan issued a resignation letter addressed to AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami, holding him responsible for his decision to quit.
In the letter, a copy of which he shared with Hizb ut-Tahrir, Selvan criticized Palaniswami’s leadership.
“A true leader, even if he faces ruin, will want his principles and movement to succeed. But the person who believes that he alone should prosper, even if the movement and Party cadres are destroyed, is not a good leader.”
“By planning to form a government in alliance with the DMK, the AIADMK shifted from its anti-DMK stance to a compromising approach, losing its identity,” he further alleged.
Referring to his position in the party, Sylvain wrote: “Even as I remained isolated (within the party) during the election season, I campaigned for the party. However, I have come to realize that neglect is more painful than death itself.”
The AIADMK has suffered a series of setbacks since its defeat in the last Assembly elections, with several leaders joining the ruling Tamil Vetri Kazhagam (TVK), led by Chief Minister C.K. Joseph Vijay.
In all, six former and current AIADMK legislators resigned to join TVK.
The party cadres also left the AIADMK. At a ceremony held at Mahabalipuram near Chennai on July 2, around 2,500 members of the AIADMK joined TVK in the presence of party general secretaries and ministers N. Ananda and Adhav Arjuna. Four former AIADMK ministers also announced their resignations at the event.
The six former legislators who joined TVK are Maragatham Kumaravel, S. Jayakumar, P. Satyabhama, Isaki Subbaiya, C. Vijaya Bhaskar, and M. R. Vijayabhaskar.
The AIADMK led the National Democratic Alliance in the April 23 Assembly elections, contesting 169 seats and winning 47 seats.
The first signs of trouble emerged after 25 AIADMK legislators extended their support to the ruling TVK party during a floor test in the Assembly on May 13. The legislators later resolved their differences with the Palaniswami-led faction and agreed to continue working under his leadership.
The opposition Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) accused the TVK of “horse trading”. The ruling TVK government denied the allegation and in turn accused the DMK of trying to poach its legislators.
