CHENNAI : Tamil actor D Napolean, who was among many stars who had taken the plunge to politics as is the tradition in Tamil Nadu, today left the DMK and joined the Bharatiya Janata Party(BJP), in the presence of its National President Amit Shah, who is making efforts to strengthen BJP in the Dravidian parties ruled state. As DMK MP, Napoleanm who was also a party functiona, was a union minister in the previousCongress led UPA government, of which DMK was an ally. Explaining the reason for his moving over to BJP, the actor, known for his portrayals as a villain on screen since his screen debut in 1996\5, said he was dissatisfied with lack of ‘intra-party discipline in DMK.’ Asked if he had informed DMK supremo M Karunanidhi about joining the DMK, Mr Napolean said ‘ I have joined the BJP after seeking his (Mr Karunanidhi) blessings. ‘I am talking about the party high command, you are asking me about an individual’, he shot back when asked if he had problem with DMK’s heir apparent and Mr Karu- nanidhi’s younger son M K Stalin and switched to BJP. ‘You must understand yourself when I say DMK high command, I cannot tell you’, he said.
Asked if his support to sacked southern satrap of DMK and Mr Karunanidhi’s elder son M K Alagiri led to he being sidelined, Mr Napolean parried the question. Asked if Mr Alagiri would also follow suit and join the bJP, Mr Napolean said ‘ I cannot say whether Alagiri wiil join BJP. But definitely more DMK partymen may come to BJP.’
Mr Napolean has joined the BJP at a time when the party has set eyes on strengthening its presence in Tamil Nadu in the run up to 2016 Assembly elections. I did not like the functioning of the party. There is no intra party democracy there now. The party elections was not conducted the way it should be,’ he said answering questions from newspersons.
He is the third prominent person to join the BJP during the Shah’s two-day tour of the state. Lyricist and Music Director Gangai Amaran, who is the younger brother of maestro illayaraja and choreographer Gayathri Raguram had joined the party yesterday.
BJP, which led a rainbow alliance of smaller parties in the Lok Sabha elections in Tamil Nadu, has been seeking to ready itself as an alternative to the Dravidian parties DMK and the now ruling AIADMK, accusing both of neglecting the development of the state.
Mr Napoleon, who was Union Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment in the UPA Government between 2009 and 2012
He ass also a former DMK MLA. Napoleon is also a close relative of senior DMK leader and former state minister K N Nehru.
Mr Napolean hailed Narendra Modi as a ‘visionary’ for the country, and said ‘I have joined BJP to strengthen Mr Modi’s hands in every developmental work for the counbtry and the state.
Replying to a query about DMK Treasurer M K Stalin, he said, ‘I do not have any opinion against any individual.’ In a letter to the DMK President and General Secretary K Anbazhagan, Mr Napoleon had said he was quitting the party and thanked those,
(AGENCIES)
Trending Now
E-Paper
Follow our WhatsApp channel