Former DMK MP, 15 former Tamil Nadu MLAs join BJP

The leaders joined the BJP in the presence of Union ministers Rajeev Chandrasekhar and L Murugan and Tamil Nadu BJP president K Annamalai.

“Some of them have been in politics for the last 50 years; some were in political parties when they were founded in Tamil Nadu. Today, they have all come to the headquarters in New Delhi to join the BJP and take the blessings of party president J P Nadda. This is the first time in Tamil Nadu that 16 people at one time have joined the party. Two former MLAs had already joined the party during the ‘En Mann En Makkal’ yatra,” Annamalai said.

The former AIADMK MLAs who joined BJP on Wednesday are K Vadivel (Karur), Challenger Duraisamy (Coimbatore), P S Kandhasamy (Aravakurichi), M V Rathinam (Pollachi), R Chinnasamy (Singanallur), V R Jayaraman (Theni), S M Vasan (Vedasanthur), P S Arul (Bhuvanagiri), R Rajendran (Kaatumannarkoil), Selvi Murugesan (Kangeyam) and A Rokini (Kolathur). Three-time MLA and former AIADMK minister Gomathi Srinivasan also joined the BJP.

From the DMK, former Chidambaram MP V Kulandaivelu and former MLA S Gurunathan who got elected from Palayamkottai constituency in 1989 switched camps. Former Congress MLA R Thangaraju who got elected from Andimatam in 1991 and former DMDK MLA K Tamilagan who got elected from Thittakudi constituency in 2011 also switched sides.

After receiving their party card from Chandrasekhar, the leaders raised slogans like “Bharat Mata Ki Jai” and “Modiji Zindabad”.

During the event, Annamalai said that it was a great occasion for the Tamil Nadu BJP where leaders who had seen the happenings in the country for the past nine years decided in unison to strengthen the hands of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Responding to a question on Union Home Minister Amit Shah saying recently that all options were open when asked if the BJP would patch up with the AIADMK, Annamalai said that Shah had always said that the doors of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) will always be open to anyone who wants join them to strengthen the hands of PM Modi, and his remarks were not specific to AIADMK alone.

“The shape and form of the alliance will be announced in the upcoming days. We are only in the first week of February, there is still time left. Anyone can join the NDA alliance accepting PM Modi’s leadership. We are not going to force anyone, many parties are in talks with us,” he said.

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