Two PMK MLAs jump to ADMK

Two Pattali Makkal Katchi legislators on Monday quit the assembly and also the party to join the ruling All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam in Tamil Nadu.

Sivagami Vincent, representing Dharapuram (SC) and Murugavelrajan of Vandavasi (SC) submitted their resignations to Speaker K Kalimuthu.

Later, they called on AIADMK chief Jayalalithaa and enrolled themselves as members of the AIADMK.

With this, three PMK MLAs, all Dalits, have resigned from the party to join the AIADMK. The PMK's strength in the assembly has now come down to 16.

On January 12, S R Krishnan, PMK MLA from Andhiyur in Erode district, resigned from the party and joined the AIADMK.

Sivagami and Murugavelrajan said they had quit the PMK as it favoured only a particular community and also because Dalits were being neglected by party leader Dr S Ramadoss.

The party had been converted into 'a family affair', they said in an obvious reference to Dr Ramadoss's son and Union Health Minister Dr Anbumani Ramadoss who had started wielding considerable influence among the party cadres.

These two MLAs had been functioning on their own in the state assembly for the last two years and had not been toeing the party line.