Prominent AIADMK figures join BJP

Former Minister Nainar Nagendran, ex-Mayor of Vellore among those who switched loyalties

Warm welcome: BJP president Amit Shah with functionaries who defected from the AIADMK, in New Delhi on Saturday.

Former Minister and prominent leader of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) from the Tirunelveli district, Nainar Nagendran, on Saturday joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in New Delhi in the presence of its president Amit Shah.

In addition, R. Srinivasan, another former AIADMK MLA who represented Arcot during 2011-16, P. Karthiyayini, former Mayor of the Vellore Municipal Corporation, and S.S.R. Ramadoss, former Congress Member of Parliament and the son of prominent Vanniyar leader S.S. Ramasami Padyachi, also joined the BJP.

P. Muralidhar Rao, BJP general secretary in charge of Tamil Nadu; Pon Radhakrishnan, Union Minister of State; Tamilisai Soundararajan, president of the State unit; and M. Chakravarthy, vice-president of the State unit, were also present.

Mr. Nagendran, a two-time legislator, was supposed to join the party in Chennai during Mr. Shah’s now-cancelled visit to Tamil Nadu, which was supposed to have taken place from August 22 to 24. Mr. Nagendran joining the BJP was seen as an attempt by the ruling party at the Centre to expand its base in Tamil Nadu where it does not have a single MLA in the Assembly.

Once known to be an associate of sidelined deputy general secretary T.T.V. Dhinakaran, the former Minister lost in the 2016 Assembly elections in Tirunelveli constituency by a narrow margin of about 600 votes. During the AIADMK regime of 2001-06, he held the portfolios of Transport, Industries and Electricity. Despite getting elected in 2011, he did not make it to the Cabinet when Jayalalithaa became the Chief Minister. In February, V.K. Sasikala made Mr. Nagendran deputy secretary of the propaganda wing of the party. However, he maintained a low profile.

Shower praise on Modi

Ms. Karthiyayini hit the headlines in late 2014 for having used a derogatory word against John Michael Cunha, special judge, Bengaluru, who in September that year, convicted Jayalalithaa in a disproportionate assets case. She had later apologised to the Madras High Court for her conduct.

In a chat with The Hindu over phone from New Delhi, Mr. Nagendran said the leadership vacuum in the AIADMK after the death of Jayalalithaa and “impressive leadership qualities” of Prime Minister Narendra Modi made him to switch over to the BJP.

“I would not claim that I would make the BJP the biggest force in Tirunelvei district in no time even though I would do my level best,” he said.

(With inputs from Nistula Hebbar in New Delhi)