TIRUCHY: AIADMK cadres in Karur on Monday celebrated the resignation of former minister MR Vijayabhaskar as MLA, claiming the party would witness significant growth following his exit.
Speaking to reporters, Karur district secretary Kamalakannan alleged that the AIADMK's defeats in the previous Assembly and Lok Sabha elections were due to Vijayabhaskar. "The cadres were not satisfied with his activities. There is no loss to the party. Instead, Karur AIADMK will witness enormous growth hereafter," he said.
Kamalakannan also said the people of Karur would teach Vijayabhaskar "a fitting lesson" if he contests the bypoll as a TVK candidate. "AIADMK cadres will work dedicatedly against him, and the AIADMK candidate will certainly win the bypoll," he added.
Vijayabhaskar, who won the Karur Assembly seat on an AIADMK ticket in the recently concluded Assembly elections, had aligned with former minister SP Velumani's camp and supported the TVK government in the confidence motion, a move seen as against the interests of AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami. Following the episode, Palaniswami removed him from the district secretary's post and appointed loyalist Kamalakannan in his place.
Though the SP Velumani camp later returned to the AIADMK fold, Vijayabhaskar was not reinstated as Karur district secretary, leading to discontent within the party.
Against this backdrop, Vijayabhaskar submitted his resignation as MLA to the Speaker on Monday, which was accepted. As news of his resignation spread, AIADMK cadres gathered at the Karur Town roundabout, burst crackers and distributed sweets to celebrate his exit.