Former MLA and Dhinakaran aide Vetrivel dies at 59

Former MLA P Vetrivel, who got his political teeth cut in the Congress under late G K Moopanar and jumped the ship to AIADMK, passed away in Chennai on Thursday after being infected with the novel coronavirus.

Vetrivel, 59, was the treasurer of Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (AMMK) headed by AIADMK rebel T T V Dhinakaran. The former MLA breathed his last at 6.40 pm at the Sri Ramachandra Hospital here due to septic shock. He was receiving treatment after testing positive for Covid-19.

Originally a Congressman, Vetrivel was a staunch loyalist of Moopanar, the party strongman in Tamil Nadu, and had his ears to the ground. From a corporator to a legislator and then to the trusted lieutenant of Dhinakaran, Vetrivel came a long way in politics. He joined AIADMK in the early 2000s.

Vetrivel shot in political limelight in 2015 when he vacated his R K Nagar assembly constituency here to pave the way for J Jayalalithaa to get elected to the House. She had to quit as Chief Minister in September 2014 after a trial court in Bengaluru sentenced her to four years in prison in a disproportionate assets (DA) case.

After the Karnataka High Court acquitted her, she was sworn-in as Chief Minister and got elected to the Assembly from R K Nagar subsequently.

In 2016, Vetrivel was elected to the Tamil Nadu Assembly from Perambur constituency here. When Jayalalithaa died in 2016 and her aide V K Sasikala surrendered before the Parappana Agrahara prison in Bengaluru to serve a prison term in the DA case, Vetrivel sided with her nephew Dhinakaran.

He was among the 18 MLAs who were disqualified for owing allegiance to Dhinakaran. Vetrivel contested the 2019 by-elections from Perambur as AMMK nominee but could not win.