The AIADMK on Wednesday expelled its Karnataka State Secretary MP Yuvaraj for bringing disrepute to the party. Yuvaraj had recently met with former AIADMK General Secretary VK Sasikala, who was recently released from prison, at a resort in Bengaluru.
According to a statement issued jointly by AIADMK’s Coordinator O Panneerselvam and Joint Coordinator and Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami, Yuvaraj behaved in such a way that was against the party’s principles and limitations. “..for behaving in a manner that would harm the decorum of the party and for breaching the party rules and bringing disrepute to the party, MP Yuvaraj is being expelled from all the posts including the primary membership of the party,” the statement read. The statement added that no party worker shall maintain any contact with the expelled member.
This expulsion is the latest in the line of action taken by the AIADMK high command against functionaries who have sought to welcome Sasikala following her release. VK Sasikala was released from Bengaluru prison on January 27 after serving her four-year sentence under the disproportionate assets case. She was on January 31 discharged from Victoria Hospital in Bengaluru, where she was receiving treatment for COVID-19.
Her release is considered significant at this juncture since Tamil Nadu is gearing up for Assembly elections in a couple of months. The AIADMK leadership has emphasised repeatedly that Sasikala’s arrival will not cause any impact on the party. Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami had also ruled out the possibility of inducting Sasikala into the AIADMK. Sasikala, who was appointed as AIADMK General Secretary in December 2016 following Jayalalithaa’s demise, was removed from the post in September 2017. This was a precondition by the O Paneerselvam faction for the merger with the AIADMK led by Edappadi Palaniswami.
Sasikala, who is yet to speak to the media since her release, made a political statement the day she was discharged from the hospital by travelling in Jayalalithaa’s car with an AIADMK flag. She is currently under quarantine after recovering from COVID-19 and is expected to reach Chennai on February 7.