AIADMK exculdes Dinakaran supporters from party

Chennai, Dec 25 : A day after suffering a massive defeat in Radhakrishnan Nagar (R.K.Nagar) bypoll, Tamil Nadu's ruling AIADMK on Monday removed six party officials and supporters of sidelined leader T.T.V.Dinakaran, who had contested and won the seat as an Independent.

The decision was taken at a high level meeting held at the party headquarters which was attended by party Coordinator and Deputy Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam and Joint Coordinator Chief Minister K. Palaniswami.

The six AIADMK District Secretaries who where removed from the party were: P.Vetrivel, V.P.Kalairajan, Parthiban, Muthiah, Thangatamizhselvan and Rengasamy.

The party also dismissed actor C.R.Saraswathi, Pugazhendi (Karnataka unit) and Nanjil Sampath.

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Palaniswami said action against party traitors will be taken.

Panneerselvam said the Election Commission should probe the allegation of bribing of voters by Dinakaran.

On a video of late Chief Minister Jayalalithaa - which she was undergoing treatment in the Apollo Hospital here in late 2016 - circulated before the polling, he said that none of the ministers had seen her in the hospital where she breathed her last on December 5, 2016.

Reacting to the action taken against him, Thangatamizhselvam told reporters that as per party constitution, only the General Secretary can dismiss a member from the party.