Updated by admin on
Saturday, April 12, 2014 11:34 PM IST
Chennai:
Both the opposition DMK and the Alagiri faction of the party, which are at loggerheads following the suspension of DMK chief M Karunanidhi's son M K Alagiri from the party, received a rude shock on April 10 when Ramanathapuram MP and actor J K Riteesh, an Alagiri loyalist, met Chief Minister and AIADMK supremo J Jayalalithaa in Chennai and on April 12 and joined the ruling AIADMK.
Ritheesh said it was DMK treasurer M K Stalin who pushed him out of the party. Ritheesh was denied the DMK ticket to contest again from Ramanathapuram.
The MP said he had informed Alagiri prior to his meeting with Jayalalithaa. However, Alagiri denied any knowledge of Ritheesh's plan to meet the CM and join the AIADMK.
“Mr. Stalin has retained only his followers in the DMK. Many loyalists of party president M Karunanidhi have left the organisation, and the remaining will also meet Ms. Jayalalithaa soon and join the AIADMK,” he said.
Alagiri maintained that the development would not affect him as he never cared about people who left him.
“Nothing can weaken me. My supporters will always stand by me.”
“I have been a DMK man and will continue to be one,” he maintained.
However, sources close to Alagiri said he was rattled by the desertion of Ritheesh.
