Former TN Speaker Announces AIADMK Exit As Son Joins TVK Cabinet

Former Tamil Nadu Assembly Speaker P. Dhanapal announced on Thursday that he is no longer with the AIADMK.

Dhanapal was the TN Assembly Speaker from 2012 to 2016 and 2016 to 2021 during the AIADMK regime and had quit the party before the Assembly elections.

Dhanapal’s son D Logesh Tamilselvan was appointed as a minister in the TVK government led by Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay on Thursday. Logesh, who won from Rasipuram Assembly (SC) constituency on a Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam ticket, was sworn in as a minister by Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar in the presence of Vijay at Lok Bhavan here. He became Minister of Commercial Taxes and Registration.

After attending his son’s swearing-in ceremony at Lok Bhavan in Chennai, Dhanapal told reporters that he was not given “importance” by the AIADMK leadership.

“It has been a long time since I left the AIADMK,” Dhanapal said after attending his son’s swearing-in ceremony as a minister. he said.

“I was resting as I was not well. I came to watch my son’s swearing-in ceremony in Chief Minister Vijay’s cabinet. I am happy to see him as a minister,” Dhanapal told reporters. he said.

He left the AIADMK because he was not given importance and was constantly ostracized. “I am heartbroken because of this, my son has now joined TVK and become a minister,” he said.

When asked about the split in the AIADMK, where majority of the MPs support the TVK, he said: “He (party general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami) is facing consequences. I am an example of being ignored. That’s why I had to resign. I am pained by the split in the AIADMK. But I welcome the new government under Vijay.”