CHENNAI: Thanga Tamil Selvan, who broke away from TTV Dhinakaran’s AMMK on Friday joined DMK in the presence of president MK Stalin. While the leadership believes he will strengthen the party in Theni district, cadre and district functionaries are upset that the presence of another leader in the party will only lead to creation of one more faction in the local unit.
Speaking to reporters at the party headquarters on Friday, Thanga Tamil Selvan said, “MK Stalin is a capable leader.” He praised Stalin for DMK’s landslide victory in the recent Lok Sabha elections and said he hoped Stalin will do good things for Tamil Nadu.
However, the Theni district functionaries Express spoke to, recall Thanga Tamil Selvan’s derogatory speech against Karunanidhi and Stalin. “The party cadre still remember those things and it is difficult for them to accept him into the party,” said a cadre from Theni.
A major concern for local cadre is whether his induction will lead to further friction in the local unit.
A district functionary said most of these factions are caused due to induction of leaders who left other parties such as MDMK and AIADMK. Loyal DMK cadre have a feeling that Theni district unit of DMK has become a “refugee camp” for leaders deserting other parties. “We have won both Andipatti and Periyakulam Assembly seats even without Thanga Tamil Selvan. So, it is not clear what advantage he will bring to DMK,” he said.