CHENNAI: N Vinayakamurthy, general secretary of the SC wing of the state BJP, joined the ruling DMK on Monday.

Vinayakamurthy, along with the secretary of Erode district youth wing, V Venkatesh, met Chief Minister M K Stalin at the DMK headquarters Anna Arivalayam Monday morning and formally joined the party.

DMK general secretary Duraimurugan, deputy general secretary cum State Higher Education Minister K Ponmudy, Electricity Minister V Senthilbalaji, party organizing secretary R S Bharathi and former party Rajya Sabha MP TKS Elangovan were present when the members of the BJP youth wing joined the DMK.

In a statement circulated by the DMK headquarters, Vinayakamurthy said that the Chief Minister was a leader protecting Tamil Nadu and Tamils. Referring to the compartmental reservation extended to Arundathiyar's in the previous DMK regime led by its deceased president M Karunanidhi, Vinayakamurthy said that there were about 35,000 Arundathiyar's in the by poll-bound Erode East Assembly constituency and they would galvanize the support of the community people for the DMK backed Congress candidate EVKS Elangovan in the by-poll.

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