P. Vetrivel, treasurer of the Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (AMMK) and former legislator, died at a private hospital on Thursday due to septicemia.
He was 60 and is survived by his wife, two sons and two daughters.
According to a release from Sri Ramachandra Hospital where Vetrivel was undergoing treatment for COVID-19 since October 6, he was shifted to ICU on October 9 and was on ventilator.
Shot into prominence
After the 1996 local body elections in the State, Vetrivel shot into prominence as the floor leader of the Tamil Maanila Congress (Moopanar) and leader of the opposition in the Chennai Corporation Council.
When the TMC merged with the Congress in August 2002, Vetrivel defected to the AIADMK on the ground that he was opposed to the merger. Till then, he was considered a confidant of G.K. Vasan, who became a secretary of the AICC after the TMC (M)’s merger with the Congress.
Vetrivel made his first attempt to enter the Assembly in 2001 when he contested as the TMC (M)’s candidate in Purasawalkam and lost by around 3,800 votes. In 2011, he got elected to the House from R.K. Nagar.
Four years later, he vacated his seat, paving the way for Jayalalithaa, who lost her posts of Chief Minister and MLA in the wake of her conviction in a disproportionate assets case in September 2014.
In 2016, he returned to the House from Perambur. When the AIADMK suffered a split a few months after the death of Jayalalithaa, he sided with the camp led by V.K. Sasikala and later, her nephew T.T.V. Dhinakaran.
In September 2017, Vetrivel and 17 other pro-Dhinakaran MLAs were disqualified for having “voluntarily given up” their membership of the AIADMK.
On the eve of polling for the R.K. Nagar by election in December 2017 when Mr. Dhinakaran emerged victorious, Vetrivel created a sensation, releasing a video showing the former Chief Minister at hospital. During the April-May 2019 by elections for 22 Assembly constituencies, he again contested from Perambur and lost badly, getting 6,281 votes.
Mr. Dhinakaran, in his condolence message, described the former legislator as one who expressed his views forthrightly and said his party’s flag would fly at half mast for a week.
Deputy Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam condoled the former legislator's death.
