CHENNAI: Transgender woman and AIADMK functionary Apsara Reddy on Thursday resigned from the party, barely a month after she was elevated as its deputy propaganda secretary on July 8.
Her resignation came a day after Singai G Ramachandran joined the TVK in the presence of its president and Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay. Ramachandran, who had a long association with the AIADMK, quit the party on July 23.
Meanwhile, the factional feud within the AIADMK appeared to intensify, with rebel leaders led by C Ve Shanmugam holding a late-night meeting to discuss their next course of action. The discussions came amid indications that AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami was not inclined to reinstate the rebels in the party posts they had previously held, as they had demanded.
In a lengthy resignation letter addressed to Palaniswami, Reddy indicated that her political journey could take a different direction, suggesting that she might join another party in the near future. However, she said her commitment to serving the people would remain unchanged.
Without elaborating, Reddy also appeared to criticise the removal of several party functionaries, saying that such actions would not benefit the AIADMK.
“I have always believed in Amma’s vision of politics rooted in people, dignity, inclusion and service. To me, politics must be about building, not breaking; including, not excluding; and uniting people rather than creating divisions,” she said in her resignation letter. Her remarks echoed the sentiments expressed by several leaders who have left the AIADMK and joined the TVK following the Assembly elections.
Reddy said her decision was not born out of bitterness or disrespect and that she was leaving the party with gratitude for the opportunities and responsibilities entrusted to her during her association with the AIADMK.
Reddy’s political journey has seen her move across three major parties. After a brief stint of less than a month with the BJP in 2016, she joined the AIADMK in the presence of its then general secretary J Jayalalithaa, who appointed her as the party’s national spokesperson. During the campaign for the 2016 Assembly elections, Reddy canvassed votes for the AIADMK by addressing public meetings in fluent Tamil.
Following Jayalalithaa’s death, Reddy came out in support of VK Sasikala and interviewed her for the first time in an English-language magazine. She also campaigned for the AIADMK in the RK Nagar by-election in December 2017. She subsequently left the AIADMK to join the Congress in 2019. She returned to the AIADMK in November 2020 in the presence of Palaniswami.
Reddy has worked as a journalist with The New Indian Express, Deccan Chronicle and The Hindu, besides working with the BBC World Service in London. She holds a BA from Monash University, Australia, and an MA from City University, London. She has addressed the European Parliament and delivered keynote speeches at universities, including Princeton University in the US. Reddy has also been involved in work relating to child abuse and transgender empowerment.