CHENNAI: The ruling DMK on Sunday suspended nine functionaries of the party, including Cuddalore MLA G Iyyappan and State women's wing deputy secretary Meena Jeyakumar of Coimbatore, for anti-party activities.
The party has been cracking the whip for the past three days against functionaries believed to have worked against alliance candidates during the indirect polls to civic chief posts on Friday. Chief Minister MK Stalin, who had already asked such party persons to resign from posts won by violating the alliance pacts, reiterated the warning at an event in Thoothukudi on Sunday evening.
According to party, Iyyappan acted against the party's official Cuddalore Corporation mayor candidate R Sundari and tried to field G Geetha as a rebel candidate against her. Learning this, the DMK leadership sent a functionary from Chennai to Cuddalore to handle the situation. After a full inquiry into the incident, the MLA was suspended.
Sources in the DMK women's wing said Meena Jeyakumar had openly accused district functionaries in recent meeting of cheating the women’s wing functionaries by allocating seats to family members instead of the women cadres.DMK cadres and second-rung leaders said the action against erring functionaries would continue as many had acted against the party’s interest in the indirect elections.
Other functionaries who faced action include M Ravikumar, Poonamallee town secretary, and former minister and Kanniyakumari East district unit secretary N Sureshrajan. Ravikumar was suspended for acting against the party candidate while Sureshrajan was suspended for failing to protect the DMK-led alliance members from poaching by the BJP in the Nagercoil Mayoral election.
On Friday, Water Resources Minister and DMK general secretary Durai Murugan had suspended C Murugan, in-charge of Thirumangalam town unit, S Thangamalai Pandi, Usilampatti town secretary, E Sudhandhiram, Usilampatti union secretary, M Ravikumar, state executive committee member and M Chandran of Usilampatti town youth wing.
MR Arumugam, Ambur town secretary, and SM Basheer Ahmed, from Vellore west were also suspended. In the indirect poll to elect the Usilampatti municipal chairperson, the party’s official candidate lost to the rebel candidate. Similarly, in Thirumangalam indirect elections were postponed as quorum could not be met following intra-party dispute.
'Many seats allotted to kin'
Sources in the DMK women's wing said Meena Jeyakumar openly accused district functionaries of cheating the women’s wing functionaries by allocating seats to family members instead of the women cadres.