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Our Bureau In a major setback to AMMK founder TTV Dhinakaran, one of his key aides and former Transport Minister in J Jayalalithaa’s government V Senthil Balaji returned to the DMK in which he started his political career 18 years ago.
Balaji, who was elected from Aravakurichi in 2016, is one of the 18 AIADMK MLAs disqualified by the Assembly Speaker P Dhanapal for openly revolting against Chief Minister Edapaddi K Palaniswami.
Daunting task
Along with his supporters, Balaji joined DMK in the presence of party president MK Stalin at Anna Arivalayam. This could possibly help the DMK to strengthen its presence in Tamil Nadu’s Kongu belt, a major stronghold of ruling AIADMK.
Belonging to the Gounder community, Balaji will have the daunting task of taking on AIADMK leaders such as M Thambidurai and MR Vijaybhaskar in the region.
“Stalin is a good leader and people will make him Chief Minister in the coming elections. The ruling AIADMK government is working along with BJP and against the people of the State,” Balaji told newspesons at the DMK headquarters.
Balaji’s defection from the AMMK comes amidst media reports that Dhinakaran is finding it difficult to retain the 18 disqualified MLAs after the Madras High Court recently upheld the Speaker’s decision to disqualify them. To make matters worse, AIADMK has said all rebels barring Dhinakaran are welcome back to the party. Speculations about Balaji’s possible defection to the DMK were aired on December 5 when he failed to participate in a procession along with AMMK leaders to commemorate Jayalalithaa’s death anniversary.
Reaction
“I do not have any objections to Balaji leaving the party. I cannot stop him from leaving,” Dhinakaran told newspersons.
Elected from Karur, Balaji was a member of the Tamil Nadu Assembly from 2011 to 2016 and made Transport Minister in Jayalalithaa’s government. However, he was dropped from the Cabinet in July 2015 on allegations of complaints against him from Karur and also from the Transport Department.
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