Chennai: Former DMK deputy general secretary Parithi Ilamvazhuthi on Friday joined the AIADMK.
The six-time Dalit MLA, whose father Ilamvazhuthi was the DMK headquarters speaker, along with PMK’s Dalit face and former Union minister E. Ponnusamy met AIADMK general secretary Jayalalithaa at Poes Garden and became party members.
Parithi, who was first elected to TN Legislative Assembly from Perambur constituency in 1984, had won five successive Assembly polls since 1989 from Egmore constituency before he bit the dust in 2011.
‘Veera Abhimanyu’ now turns ‘traitor’
K Karthikeyan | DC
Party chief M. Karunanidhi once called him Iyakkathin Indarjith and Veera Abhimanyu (brave Abhimanyu) for withstanding the AIADMK onslaught single-handedly in the 1991-96 Assembly. People remember him best for his indiscrete jibes at Opposition parties.
All the ‘pride’ vanished in thin air on Friday as the same DMK calls him a ‘traitor’ who fell for ‘luxury’. He is Parithi Ilamvazhuthi, six-time MLA, Deputy Speaker of 1996-2001 Assembly and former urban development minister, who ‘migrated’ to rival AIADMK on Friday. His sole ‘grudge’ was ‘uncontrolled’ nepotism holding the DMK hostage.
A virtually happy Parithi accused Karunanidhi of ‘sacrificing’ party’s ideology for family and told DC, “DMK has too many power centers. The party is for one family and not cadres. I questioned that and hence I was sidelined. I explained this to Karunanidhi and Stalin many times personally since 2011 only to suffer continuous insult and neglect. I looked for a place where I would be respected. I found it here (AIADMK).”
“Stalin lacks leadership quality. Amma is taking brave and efficient decisions like in the Eelam issue, whereas Karunanidhi deceived cadres to protect his family’s interest,” he remarked apparently indicating the tone of his future public speeches for the AIADMK.
Calling him a traitor, former Mayor M Subramanian chided; “He fell for luxury (power brings). He is in his mid 50s, but he was given MLA ticket seven times. He was made deputy Speaker, deputy general secretary and most recently minister. Can you call that sidelining? He cannot remain out of power,” he said.
“DMK is an ocean. His exit will do nothing,” Subramanian added. Perhaps, the DMK got a taste of its own medicine, for the party had also ‘poached’ disgruntled heavyweights like T.M.Selvaganapath, Erode Muthusamy and Anitha Radhakrishnan from the AIADMK during its 2006-11 regime.
Writer Manushyaputhiran describes it as a demonstration of deteriorating political culture during last two decades in Tamil Nadu and said the politicians were concerned about immediate benefits and it was not about ideology any more and hence such defections.
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