AIADMK's meeting was convened after certain members of the party raised issues about unitary leadership. However, party has decided to continue with dual responsibility. Meanwhile, Radha Ravi returned to the ruling party's fold two years after he joined the DMK.
Chennai: Tamil Nadu's actor-politician Radha Ravi, who was suspended from the DMK earlier this year over his alleged misogynistic remarks about popular south Indian actress Nayanthara, joined the AIADMK on June 12.
Ravi returned to the ruling party's fold two years after he joined the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK).
The actor-politician joined the AIADMK after calling on Tamil Nadu chief minister K Palaniswami at his official residence.
Ravi, a versatile actor, had courted controversy in March, after a video purportedly showing him making misogynistic remarks about actress Nayanthara went viral on social media. His comments drew objections from various quarters, prompting the DMK to suspend him.
DMK president MK Stalin had said that his party would not tolerate such indiscipline. Besides Nayanthara, celebrities such as Kamal Haasan and Taapsee Pannu had also criticised Ravi, who later expressed regret.
Ravi was elected MLA on an AIADMK ticket in 2002 bypoll.
According to reports, the crucial AIADMK meeting today took stock of the Lok Sabha election and Assembly by-election results. The meeting was convened after certain members of the party raised issues about unitary leadership. However, none of this was discussed in the meeting. Senior party leader and fisheries minister D Jayakumar said that AIADMK's alliance with the BJP was not an issue and that the need for unitary leadership was not addressed in the meeting.
Office bearers and district general secretaries have decided to continue with the present set up of having dual responsibility in the party split between chief minister Edapaddi K Palaniswami, the AIADMK coordinator, and deputy chief minister O Paneerselvam, who is the party convenor.
Earlier this day, posters had emerged outside the party headquarters in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, urging Palaniswami to take on the post of the AIADMK's general secretary.
The general secretary post was held by the state's former chief minister and AIADMK president late J Jayalalithaa till her demise in 2016.
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