AIADMK Suffers Fresh Blow As Minister C Vijayabaskar Quits Party & Assembly

Chennai: The AIADMK, a party that cumulatively governed Tamil Nadu for over 30 years since 1977, suffered another jolt on Tuesday when its former Minister and Pudukottai strongman C Vijayabaskar resigned his Assembly membership (Viralimalai constituency) as well as gave up primary membership of the party. 

A former Health Minister, who had taken the centrestage during the coronavirus pandemic, Vijayabaskar did not reveal his future political course, though it is likely he may join the ruling Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) founded by Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay.  

With this as many as five AIADMK legislators have resigned their Assembly membership even before the indelible ink on the index fingers of voters has faded. Four of them had already joined the TVK. 

Following this, the strength of the AIADMK in the 234-member House fell to 42. The State now faces by-elections to six constituencies barely a month after the Assembly elections, a situation that had not arisen before in Tamil Nadu. The sixth seat is Tiruchi East, which was vacated by Vijay, who had also won from Perambur in Chennai.

Vijayabaskar, who had joined the AIADMK as a college student, had earned the trust of party’s then general secretary J Jayalalithaa, who made him a Minister in her Cabinet in 2013. He continued as Health Minister in the cabinets of O Panneerselvam and Edappadi K Palaniswami. 

Recently, he emerged as a prominent figure who rebelled against Palaniswami and was among the 25 legislators, who defied the party whip and voted in favour of the Motion of Confidence moved by Vijay last month. However, the Speaker, dropped action against him and 20 others under the anti-defection law, after the party leadership condoned their violation following expression of regret. 

Vijayabaskar was upset after he was stripped of his party post. An accused in the multi-crore gutkha scam being probed by the CBI, he was the first sitting Minister (2017) to have faced searches in his official residence by the Income Tax Department.