AIADMK sacks Panneerselvam and 19 others

Hours after the Supreme Court upheld her conviction in disproportionate assets case, AIADMK general secretary V K Sasikala today expelled 20 rebel leaders from the primary membership of the party.

However, 12 MPs and eight MLAs, who supported chief minister O Panneerselvam, were spared. The only MLAs who were expelled are Panneerselvam and school education minister K Pandiarajan.

In a two-page statement, Sasikala said the cadres should not have any truck with the expelled leaders in future. "The expelled members have violated party principles and brought disrepute," she said.

Incidentally, the Panneerselvam camp has already moved the Election Commission of India seeking its intervention not to consider the claims of Sasikala that she was appointed as the general secretary of the party, citing the bylaws of the AIADMK. (The Times of India)