3 AIADMK ex-ministers, cadres join TVK

Chennai: Three former AIADMK ministers, Dr C Vijayabaskar, M R Vijayabaskar and M S M Anandan along with their supporters, joined the ruling TVK in the presence of its general secretary 'Bussy' N Anand at Mamallapuram, about 57 km from here, on Thursday, evoking a "washing machine" jibe from the DMK.Both C Vijayabaskar, who resigned as Viralimalai MLA, and M R Vijayabaskar, who gave up the Karur seat after winning on the AIADMK's Two Leaves symbol, and former legislators, including Anandan, joined the ruling dispensation lauding the governance under Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay.Read more: Tamil Nadu: Former Ministers C Vijayabaskar, MR Vijayabaskar to join TVK on July 2Welcoming them into the party, TVK chief coordinator K A Sengottaiyan said they had come to the right party after becoming disillusioned with the present AIADMK leadership that was functioning like a "corporate firm" rather than being a political organisation.Defending their exit from the Dravidian major, Sengottaiyan who had quit the AIADMK in November 2025 after he was expelled by its general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami, lashed out at the latter accusing him as an epitome of "betrayal.""It is the AIADMK leadership that betrayed the party workers by trying to align with the arch rival DMK.

The fountainhead of betrayal is there," Sengottaiyan said.He hailed TVK founder and Vijay as "everlasting CM".TVK leaders, including general secretaries Aadhav Arjuna and Arunraj were present on the occasion.The newly inducted members were presented a shawl each and welcomed into the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam founded by Vijay in February 2024.Commenting on the mass exodus from the AIADMK, DMK deputy general secretary Kanimozhi said on 'X' : "I heard that a 'washing machine' of the kind the BJP used to employ in the north has now arrived in Tamil Nadu too.

They say this new Tamil Nadu model machine can even wash away gutka stains... is it true?"The DMK MP was apparently referring to the alleged involvement of C Vijayaskar in the Gutka scam case which was transferred to the Special Court for Criminal Cases involving MPs and MLAs, from the CBI.The DMK IT wing quoting an editorial in the party organ 'Murasoli', said in a post on social media that former Transport Minister M R Vijayabaskar was arrested in a high-profile Rs 100 crore land grabbing and fraud case.

He was arrested from Kerala and brought to the state for a probe and lodged in Tiruchirappalli prison.The Income Tax department has also registered a separate case in this regard, the post said on 'X' and asked "what merit does Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay has to talk about corruption?"AIADMK women's wing state deputy secretary Gayathri Raghuram sarcastically remarked "Promising change." The TVK is sending the wrong message to the people by including politicians who are accused of corruption.

The people who trusted the TVK are being let down, as those with controversial backgrounds are being given a red carpet welcome."This is not the clean politics that the people expected.

If TVK truly believed in honesty and corruption-free administration, then it should hold the DMK and AIADMK politicians facing corruption charges accountable before the law; not felicitate them and admit them into its fold," she said on 'X'.She claimed that in 2023, the then Governor R N Ravi granted permission to the CBI to prosecute former minister C Vijayabaskar in the gutka scam case.Interestingly, Dr Vijayabaskar, who is always seen in a white shirt and a dhoti with the prominent markings of AIADMK's black, white and maroon coloured stripes on the border, was noticed in a trouser during his induction into the TVK.Earlier, speaking to reporters ahead of merging his group with the TVK, Dr Vijayabaskar, said the collective decision was not made in haste but decided after a series of consultations with his supporters, district office bearers, and the people of his Viralimalai assembly constituency, unanimously desiring for a political change.The former health minister attributed his departure to the "wrong decisions" made by the present AIADMK leadership.M R Vijayabaskar also joined the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam along with his supporters from Karur.Hundreds of their supporters from Pudukkottai district and Karur arrived in buses and other vehicles to participate in the event.Anandan, who quit the AIADMK after serving the party for 45 years and joined the TVK, expressed deep dissatisfaction with the current AIADMK leadership.He flayed the party general secretary, saying the party under him had become a "self-centered" organisation that ignored the concerns and hard work of its loyal cadres.Speaking to reporters, he said he saw the future of Tamil Nadu politics in the TVK and expressed confidence in CM Vijay's leadership and the party's potential to provide effective governance for the next five years.Read more: DMK student wing to protest demanding dismissal of TVK minister over controversial videoAlso, Anandan dismissed allegations of "horse-trading" and asserted that he and others were joining the party on their own volition due to their belief in the movement, rather than out of any external pressure or corrupt influence.Along with them, S Valarmathi from Tiruchirappalli, district secretaries - P K Vairamuthu, Ilambai Tamilselvan, Orathanadu Sekar, and Trichy Srinivasan, joined the TVK. ...