Quitting politics with satisfaction: Subbulakshmi Jagadeeshan

CHENNAI: DMK old-timer and the party's deputy general secretary Subbulakshmi Jagadeeshan decided to step down from active politics and tendered her resignation to the party leadership.

In a letter, the former Parliamentarian wrote that she had taken this call after an "immense satisfaction" on DMK's performance in its one-year-old governance.

Recalling her desire to DMK patriarch M Karunanidhi to strengthen the party by moving away from electoral politics after 2009, Subbulakshmi noted she was fully invested in galvanising the party in making Stalin the next Chief Minister.

Since that desire has fructified and Stalin's governance is "fetching laurels globally", she chose to step down from politics.

“This gives me great satisfaction. With this satisfaction, and as per my long-term wish of retiring from politics, I had sent my resignation letter to the party president on August 29 for quitting the party and my position in the party,” added Jagadeeshan, a day after Stalin discussed her exit and impending district secretary election with party seniors.

Subbulakshmi has confirmed the ‘retirement’ in the backdrop of her husband Jagadeeshan posting critical comments about the DMK leadership on social media. Accusing incumbent state housing minister S Muthusamy of contributing to his wife’s defeat in the 2021 Assembly poll, her spouse has been blaming the party high command for turning blind eye to the conspiracy of the former.

The senior most woman leader in the ruling DMK, Ms Jagadeeshan had lost to BJP’s Sarawati in Modakurichi constituency by a meagre 281 votes. Subbulakshmi had also abstained from the Mupperum Vizha celebration in Virudhu Nagar last week, sparking rumours about her likely demotion or exit from the party.

Subbulakshmi is the second deputy general secretary of the DMK to quit the party in the last two years. Former MP and deputy speaker of the state Assembly V P Duraisamy had also quit the party and joined the BJP a little over a couple of years ago.

Subbulakshmi Jagadeeshan has served as the Minister for Textile, Khadi, Handloom, Small-scale industries, Prohibition & Excise from 1977-1980. She went on to become Minister of Social Welfare during the 1989-1991 DMK regime.

With Bureau inputs