Chennai: Former All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) ministers Dr C Vijayabaskar, M R Vijayabaskar, and M S M Anandan along with their supporters joined the ruling Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam (TVK) at an event in Mamallapuram on Thursday.
Dr C Vijayabaskar, said the collective decision was not made in haste but decided after a series of consultations with his supporters, district office bearers, and the people of his Viralimalai assembly constituency, unanimously desiring for a political change.
The former health minister attributed his departure to the "wrong decisions" made by the present AIADMK leadership.
Former transport minister M R Vijayabaska also joined the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam along with his supporters from Karur.
Hundreds of their supporters from Pudukkottai district and Karur have arrived in buses and other vehicles to participate in the event.
Former minister Anandan, who quit the AIADMK after serving the party for 45 years to join the TVK, expressed deep dissatisfaction with the current AIADMK leadership.
He flayed party general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami, saying the party under him has become a "self-centered" organisation that ignored the concerns and hard work of its loyal cadres.
Speaking to reporters, he said he saw the future of Tamil Nadu politics in the TVK and expressed confidence in Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay's leadership and the party's potential to provide effective governance for the next five years.
Also, Anandan dismissed allegations of "horse-trading" and asserted that he and others were joining the party on their own volition due to their belief in the movement, rather than out of any external pressure or corrupt influence.
Along with them, Valarmathi from Tiruchirappalli, district secretaries - P K Vairamuthu, Ilambai Tamilselvan, Orathanadu Sekar, and Trichy Srinivasan, will join the TVK.
In parallel developments, Tamil Nadu Assembly is being rocked by allegations of horse-trading.
The row erupted with TVK alleging that one of their MLAs was offered ₹35 crore to vote against the Speaker in a no-confidence motion by DMK. DMK has denied the charge.
Meanwhile, DMK has accused Chief Minister Vijay of trying to make two of the party's MLAs resign.
(With inputs from PTI)
