Amid reports of Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) MLA Ku Ka Selvam joining the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the legislator met the saffron camp’s national president JP Nadda in New Delhi on Tuesday evening and presented a memorandum for infrastructural support in his constituency.
He also issued a statement in praise of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP, but did not officially join it.
Selvam, who represents the Thousand Lights constituency in Chennai, said he met Union Minister Piyush Goyal seeking two elevators at Nungambakkam railway station, and followed by a meeting with Nadda.
While Selvam has maintained that he was not unhappy with main opposition party in Tamil Nadu, he has openly urged DMK president MK Stalin to sever ties with the Congress as its leader Rahul Gandhi has been ceaselessly finding faults with Modi.
Selvam has suggested that Stalin conduct intra-party polls and also speak out against those who attacked Lord Murugan recently.
An a recent controversy involving Periyarists and right-wingers, a Youtube artist Karuppar Kottam had put out a video that was allegedly disrespectful a Tamil devotional song in praise Lord Murugan.
On Tuesday, Selvam said the Centre should consider raising a temple in Rameswaram (a southern town in Tamil Nadu) and treat it on par with Ayodhya.
When asked about leaving the DMK, he said, “I am indebted to the DMK…”
So far, the DMK has not expelled Selvam, even though the party leadership got into a huddle around the time Selvam left for Delhi during the day.
Even after the death of DMK icon M Karunanidhi, Stalin had managed to keep his flock intact, barring a brief show of dissent from estranged brother MK Alagiri.
It was, in fact, the AIADMK that witnessed rebellion since the demise of J Jayalalithaa in late 2016. Social media was abuzz on Monday night about a Dravidian defection. While all eyes were on former AIADMK leader Nainar Nagendran, currently with the BJP, the action emerged from the DMK.
A source said a post occupied by late party strongman J Anbazhagan became a much-sought-after one, leading to a lot of lobbying by several leaders, including Selvam.
However, following a recommendation of DMK’s youth wing secretary and Stalin’s son Udhay, it went to someone younger in the party’s hierarchy causing some heartburn.
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