Congress MLA Vijayadharani joins BJP

CHENNAI: Ending days of speculation, a three-time MLA and a prominent face in the Tamil Nadu Congress Committee (TNCC), S Vijayadharani on Saturday joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at the party headquarters in New Delhi.

VIjayadharani, MLA of Vilavancode Assembly Constituency in Kanniyakumari district joined the saffron party in the presence of Union Minister of State L Murugan and Tamil Nadu BJP Lok Sabha election in-charge Arvind Menon and co-in-charge Ponguleti Sudhakar Reddy.

A few reasons such as the party high command's deliberate inattention and the former CLP K Selvaperunthagai's elevation to the TNCC president, made her switch camp, said a close aide of Vijayadharani.

"As the Congress high command didn't heed to her request for nominating her for the post of the CLP and for the Nagercoil Lok Sabha constituency in 2019 and during the subsequent bye-election, she switched her camp. She was in New Delhi for the past two weeks. After getting the assurance from the BJP top brass for an MP ticket in the ensuing Parliamentary elections, she made an announcement and joined the saffron party," an aide detailed.

Addressing the reporters at the BJP headquarters in the National Capital, Vijayadharani said that this was the first time she shifted party.

"I have been in Congress since my childhood. But in recent times, women's functionaries are not given priority in the TNCC. I am joining the BJP, which is working for the upliftment of women," Vijayadharani said.

Lauding Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Vilavancode MLA said under the leadership of PM Modi, India is placed quite high on the international level.

"I have joined the BJP today because I was attracted by the works and people welfare schemes such as 33 per cent reservation for women by PM Modi. The leadership of Modiji is important to this country. In Tamil Nadu, I will work to make the BJP stronger under the leadership of Annamalai ji," she added.

Welcoming the sitting MLA into his party, State BJP president K Annamalai said that Vijayadharani's presence would strengthen the path of Tamil Nadu BJP in realising the political change in the State.

Minutes after joining the BJP, Vijayadharani announced that she had tendered her resignation from the primary membership of the Congress party.

Reacting to her exit, TNCC president K Selvaperunthagai said that an MLA named VIjayadharani is of no use to the Congress party or the country.

"We may be upset when some leader who loves the people leaves the party. With her (Vijayadharani) exit, what is there to be upset about? If she wanted the post of MP or party president, she could have appealed to the party's high-command and get it. BJP's horse-trading politics will not work out in Tamil Nadu. Our leaders and cadres are firmly standing with the party," he added.

Meanwhile, the TNCC president K Selvaperunthagai on Saturday wrote to the TN Speaker M Appavu seeking immediate disqualification of Vijayadharani from the MLA post under the Anti-Defection law (The Tenth Schedule of the Constitution).