AIADMK gets six popular faces

Chief Minister and AIADMK supremo J Jayalalithaa inducted six new faces to by giving party membership cards at her Poes Garden residence.
AIADMK gets six popular faces

Chief Minister and AIADMK supremo J Jayalalithaa inducted six new faces to the party on Monday. She handed over membership cards to former PMK leader Dheeran, former DMK MLA Gomathi Seenivasan, folk music composer Anitha Kuppusamy, former Mayor of Madurai Corporation M Patturajan, former principal district judge M Mayandi and Sridhar Narayanan, a news reader in Jaya TV, at her Poes Garden residence here.

Professor Dheeran alias A Rajendran, a Vanniyar bigwig, was the president of the PMK and one of the founding members of the Vanniyar Sangam.

He was elected from Andimadam constituency on a PMK ticket. After quitting the PMK, he formed the Tamil Pattali Makkal Katchi in 1998.

 In the 2001 Assembly elections, he contested from Gingee seat. He had been heading Pasumai Thamizhagam.

Gomathi Srinivasan was a Minister in the AIADMK cabinet, led by former Chief Minister M G Ramachandran between 1981 and 1986. Later, she joined the DMK and was elected to the State Assembly from Valangaiman (SC) constituency in 1996.

Later, she quit the DMK to join BJP as a member of its All India SC/ST committee. On Monday, she made a return to the AIADMK fold.

It may be recalled that recently, Nanjil Sampath, senior MDMK functionary, former DMK Minister, Parithi Ellamvazhuthi and former Union Minister from PMK, E Ponnusamy, had joined the AIADMK.

Music to Politics

Anitha Kuppusamy (45), versatile singer who is fond of singing folk songs, entered the political arena on Monday, after a career in music that extended for almost two decades. 

“Politics has been my favourite for a long time and my attention towards it increased during the DMK regime between 2006-2011 because of the rampant corruption. For the last one year, I have been waiting to join the AIADMK since I see a visionary in Amma,” Anitha Kuppusamy told Express.

Recalling her moments with the AIADMK supremo on Monday, Anitha said the Chief Minister fondly enquired about her family and children. Incidentally, Monday was the birthday of her second daughter. 

Anitha said though she got invitations from many political parties in the past, she did not join them. After closely watching the functioning of the AIADMK, she was attracted towards its leader’s courage and conviction in delivering goods to the people. Anitha said Amma is the only leader who is able to decimate terrorism.

Though born in Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh, her family came to Coimbatore when she was a child. Her interest for Tamil and music has grown as the years passed.

She received her BA degree in Music in Avinashi Lingam College in Coimbatore and later received her MA in Carnatic music from University of Madras. She, along with her husband Pushpavanam Kuppusamy, has given several music performances.

Anitha has also been a TV personality and cook book writer, besides releasing music albums comprising folk and devotional songs.

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