High command’s choices for posts irk AIADMK workers in districts

After Tiruvannamalai Aavin chairman and former minister Agri SS Krishnamurthy was made Tiruvannamalai south district secretary, the high command attached Kalasapakkam Assembly constituency, Krishnamurthy’s native, to the Tiruvannamalai north district where Cheyyar MLA Doosi Mohan is the secretary.

This was to offset complaints by Kalasapakkam AIADMK MLA A Paneerselvam who opposed Krishnamurthy. Kilpennathur constituency was moved from Tiruvannamalai north district and attached to the south district. MLA Paneerselvam questioned why Krishnamurthy, who was PU secretary, MLA, minister and now Aavin district chairman and has a murder case pending against him should be given another post. “Is it because the party lacks hardworking cadres?” he asked. The change was necessitated by former south district secretary and HR&CE Minister Sevoor S Ramachandran being made organising secretary at the state level.

Meanwhile, district level posts that remained vacant for more than a year were filled up in Vellore with Vellore Aavin chairman D Velazhagan being made Vellore rural district secretary covering Anaicut, KV Kuppam and Gudiyattam Assembly constituencies, while former district deputy secretary SRK Appu, a native of Katpadi, is now the Vellore urban district secretary covering Vellore and Katpadi constituencies.

Complaints of nepotism were leveled against Commercial Taxes Minister and Tirupattur district secretary KC Veeramani at whose behest Velazhagan reportedly canvassed the support of party top brass belonging to the Vanniyar community who supported his candidature.

“Appu was posted to placate the Mudaliar community in Vellore, but only the ensuing elections will prove the outcome of this move,” sources revealed.

It was initially thought that party strongman and Gudiyattam town secretary JKN Palani, also from Mudaliar community, would be made urban district secretary and present district treasurer M Moorthy the rural district secretary. Sources said Appu was elevated as Veeramani, who is allegedly close to DMK’s Katpadi strongman Duraimurugan, did not want to antagonise the latter by posting a person from his community.