Under the grounds of violating the lockdown norms and restrictions, the Villupuram district police department has booked a case against former DMK Minister K Ponmudy and 318 other DMK members for organizing and conducting a grand event to welcome the dissented ADMK leader and 2000 others, who massively exited from the ADMK and other parties and joined DMK recently.
According to the reports, former ADMK MP Lakshmanan had recently dissented against the ADMK leadership and joined DMK in the presence of party's president MK Stalin, which sparked an intra-party furor in the state ruling party.
Lakshmanan was the ADMK MP in Rajya Sabha, who was nominated and elected under the leadership of then Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa. After the demise of the former, Lakshmanan was one of the initial leaders who supported Panneerselvam when the latter revolted against the party and against the rise of Jayalalithaa's aide Sasikala in 2017.
தலைவர் @mkstalin அவர்களின் மக்கள் பணியால் ஈர்க்கப்பட்டு, விழுப்புரத்தில் எனது முன்னிலையில் அதிமுக முன்னாள் மாநிலங்களவை உறுப்பினர் டாக்டர்.இரா.லட்சுமணன் தலைமையில்
— K.Ponmudy M.L.A (@KPonmudiMLA) August 29, 2020
அதிமுக உள்ளிட்ட கட்சிகளிலிருந்து விலகி 2500 க்கும் மேற்பட்டோர் தி.மு.கழகத்தில் இணைந்தனர்.https://t.co/zwG8UIzfXM pic.twitter.com/dCEH7homIV
During his stint as the supporter of Panneerselvam, Lakshmanan was one of the party's secretaries and after Panneerselvam and his faction merged with Edappadi Palaniswami. After the merger, Lakshmanan had seen a demotion as the post of the district secretary that he held had gone to CVe Shanmugam, who is the sitting law minister and secretary of ADMK Villupuram district.
Lakshmanan wasn't seen active on the political grounds and earlier this month - on August 18, he joined the DMK in the presence of MK Stalin and senior leaders by citing that there was infighting within the ADMK. Former DMK Minister Ponmudy, who is the DMK district secretary of Villupuram, is the main rival of ADMK's Shanmugam in Villupuram and as Lakshmanan had exited from ADMK and joined DMK, Ponmudy had planned to conduct a grand welcome for the dissented leader as he eyed that the influx of ADMK leader in DMK in his own district would boost his stronghold.
As planned, he conducted an event on Saturday to officially welcome Lakshmanan and over 2000 others, who quitted from different parties to the DMK party. The reports say over 300 people had taken part in the event and the huge gathering has held at Kalaignar Arivalayam in Villupuram. As the political event has been banned in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak and restrictions, the district police had registered a case against the former DMK ministers and the members.
According to the reports, the police had on Sunday invoked the Epidemic Act against Ponmudy, Lakshmanan, and other 317 DMK members for hosting and attending the event by defying the lockdown norms. The visuals had shown that the attendees were seated without observing physical distancing norms. The police have filed a case under section 3 of the Epidemic Disease Act, sections 143 -unlawful gathering, 147 - punishment for rioting, and 188 - Disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant of the Indian Penal Code.
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