Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) deputy general secretary Aadhav Arjuna, who had previously commented on the decision of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) in Tamil Nadu, resigned from the party on Sunday evening.
Writing on social media, X wrote a letter of resignation and included a photo of the document he sent to the group.
In a letter to VCK chairman Thol Thirumavalan, Aadhav wrote that he joined the party to work for the downtrodden.
“I have no difference of opinion with the views of Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi,” he wrote, adding that “Thoughts that came out of me out of righteous anger about the welfare of the people have now become points of debate. I don’t want this to create a rift between us.”
He said that because he did not want “unnecessary debates in an open forum”, he decided to resign from VCK.
Aadhav also said that he will continue to question this and sought Thirumavalavan’s blessings.
Aadhav Arjuna created a political storm when, at the launch of a book on December 6, he allegedly targeted the DMK by saying that the party which claimed to fight for social justice was following the monarchy.
“Tamil Nadu will no longer allow monarchy to flourish. The Chief Minister should not be appointed by birth,” Aadhav said. The comment was widely interpreted as a direct jibe at Chief Minister MK Stalin, who took over the top post of the state after his father M Karunanidhi.
After this statement, Aadhav also claimed that he is responsible for the victory of DMK in the state elections.
The party, however, distanced itself from Aadhav’s comments, which led to his suspension from the VCK for six months.
Meanwhile, the VCK official responded to Aadhav’s resignation. “My blessings are always with him. In public life, patience and tolerance are important. I expected him to get that opportunity in Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi. This also seems to be an urgent decision,” said Thirumavalan.
Even before the royal comments, Aadhav created a controversy by saying that the coalition parties cannot be satisfied with just sharing seats, they need power sharing.