JOIN USAIADMK expels its Muslim face for supporting Sasikala
AIADMK late Tuesday showed the door to its minority wing secretary and senior leader A Anwhar Raajha after he spoke against the “dual leadership” and backed V K Sasikala’s re-entry into the party.
This is the first major expulsion from the AIADMK after the party lost power to the DMK in May this year. Raajha’s expulsion also came a week after he was targeted at a party meeting for speaking against the joint leadership of OPS and EPS which he said was “hurting the party.”
A former minister in the J Jayalalithaa cabinet and ex-MP from Ramanathapuram, Raajha has received flak for the past few days for openly speaking against the “dual leadership”. The former MP has also been supporting Sasikala’s re-entry into the AIADMK saying she is no longer a “liability” for the party.
Raajha, the AIADMK’s Muslim face, was expelled from the primary membership on the eve of the party’s crucial Executive Committee meeting on Wednesday. The Executive Committee is likely to discuss the urban local body polls, intra-party elections, and convening of the General Council.
Party coordinator O Panneerselvam and joint coordinator Edappadi K Palaniswami said in a joint statement that Raajha has been expelled from the primary membership for “speaking against the decisions of the High Command and bringing disrepute to the AIADMK”.
He is understood to have been heckled at the meeting which upset many senior leaders.
In interviews to Tamil channels, Raajha said the dual leadership and “confusion” at the top was hurting the party’s prospects. Raajha is one of the first leaders in the AIADMK to speak against the party’s alliance with BJP.
Raajha’s expulsion is likely to create a stir in the AIADMK, which is facing a challenge from Sasikala who has staked her claim for the party’s leadership.
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