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Tamil Nadu
NEW CHAPTER: Former AIADMK Minister T.M. Selvaganapathy joining the DMK in the presence of party president and Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi in Chennai on Thursday. CHENNAI: A Minister during the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam regime (1991-1996), T.M. Selvaganapathy, who was expelled from the party a few days ago, on Thursday joined the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam here in the presence of party president and Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi. Describing himself as a person who was able to breathe “free air,” on expulsion from the AIADMK, Mr. Selvaganapathy, who joined the DMK along with numerous followers at the party headquarters here, said AIADMK general secretary Jayalalithaa’s friend Sasikala was now in complete control of the party. Ms. Jayalalithaa had been forced to be a “pawn” of Ms. Sasikala and her group. “Today, a situation has arisen wherein one, despite having many qualifications, will not get any position in the party without the support of Ms. Sasikala and her group, who hold no office in the party,” Mr. Selvaganapathy said in a statement. Asked whether his decision was an emotional one, he told reporters that he took the decision because “this is the only forum where democracy prevails.” In the AIADMK, there was no discussion or consultation between the general secretary and senior leaders. The meetings of the party general council were all “mere rituals.” Explaining the immediate provocation for his exit from the AIADMK, Mr. Selvaganapathy, who won from the Salem Lok Sabha constituency in 1999 on an AIADMK ticket, defeating Vazhapadi K. Ramamurthy of the Tamizhaga Rajiv Congress by a margin of about 25,000 votes, referred to the appointment of people in the labour wing of the party. He maintained that he along with the other district secretary from Salem had submitted a detailed report pointing out irregularities, but it was ignored. Asked whether he expected any support from the ruling party in facing legal cases in which he was involved, Mr. Selvaganapathy, who had studied law and economics in Jawaharlal Nehru University and Delhi University, replied that the party would have no role. “Truth will triumph. I will prove my innocence.” He did not expect any position in the DMK and would work as a “foot solider.” At the function, he thanked Mr. Karunanidhi, Local Administration Minister M.K. Stalin and Agriculture Minister and Salem district secretary of the DMK Veerapandi S. Arumugam. Mr. Karunanidhi, who presented a shawl as a mark of admitting Mr. Selvaganapathy into the party, said he was ready to welcome many more people into his party, which had been following in the footsteps of E.V. Ramasamy and C.N. Annadurai.
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