The AIADMK on Thursday expelled one of its spokespersons Dheeran, also called A. Rajendran.
It also removed over 100 functionaries from the districts of Salem, Namakkal, Coimbatore and The Nilgiris. The functionaries were considered to be supporters of rebel leader T.T.V. Dhinakaran.
Mr. Dheeran, who joined the AIADMK in September 2013, was once the president of the Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK).
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In December 1997, he was expelled from the PMK as he had opposed his party aligning with the AIADMK during the 1998 Lok Sabha elections.
In the 1996 Assembly elections, he was elected from Andimadam of Ariyalur district on a PMK ticket.
Later, he was associated with the Naam Tamilar Katchi and Tamizhaga Vazhuvurimai Katchi.
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‘Left clueless’
Though a release of the AIADMK mentioned that Mr. Dheeran had “violated party discipline,” the expelled leader told The Hindu that he was clueless as to why the action was taken against him.
“I was not even asked for any explanation,” he said.
To a query whether his observation in a debate on a Tamil television channel had led to the development, Mr. Dheeran said he did not say anything new. When other participants of the discussion had said the ruling party would get a drubbing in local bodies polls after the victory of rebel leader T.T.V. Dhinakaran in the R.K. Nagar byelection, he had countered them by saying that there could even be reunion on a later date.
“I had elaborated that divisions in the AIADMK could not be used by the Opposition for political gains. This was the position that I took when the present coordinator of the party and Deputy Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam was not with the ruling camp for some months,” he added.