DMK sacks MK acolyte from post of spokesman

CHENNAI: The DMK on Monday sacked long-time Karunanidhi associate and Rajya Sabha member T K S Elangovan from the post of secretary-media liaison. A terse one-line party release issued late evening gave no reason for the sudden action.


Surprisingly, it came hours after the DMK released the names of seven leaders permitted by the party to interact with the media. But, the release said they cannot participate in TV debates. Elangovan figured fourth on the list with his designation given as secretary-media liaison.

In a party release issued late on Monday, party general secretary K Anbazhagan said Elangovan had been relieved from the post of party spokesperson. No official reason was forthcoming for his sacking from the party post.

A staunch Karunanidhi loyalist and a close associate of Kanimozhi, Elangovan, 64, made a low-profile entry into politics after quitting his job. He contested and won his first election, for the Lok Sabha, in 2009. He was nominated to the Rajya Sabha in 2016.

Sources said soon after the news of the seven-member panel was released, Elangovan told a news channel that former AICC president Sonia Gandhi was likely to participate in the event to unveil the statue of former DMK president M Karunanidhi on the premises of DMK HQ Anna Arivalayam. His statement did not go down well with the party leadership.

The others who figured in the list and are permitted to interact with the media included the party’s executive panel member K Ponmudy, organizing secretary R S Bharathi, propaganda secretary A Raja, MLA and district secretary J Anbalagan, election committee member T M Selvaganapathy, and former MLA Pazha Karuppiah.