Environment minister helped DMK, AMMK in LS polls: AIADMK MLA

Coimbatore: The rift in the Erode unit of the ruling AIADMK was exposed when Perundurai MLA Thoppu N D Venkatachalam accused the environment minister KC Karuppannan, who is also the party’s district secretary, of being hand in glove with the DMK and the AMMK.
Speaking to the media at his residence at Perundurai on Saturday, the MLA said Karuppannan had even helped the two rival parties in the recent Lok Sabha elections. “I have brought the issue to the notice of both the chief minister, Edappadi K Palaniswami, and the deputy chief minister, O Pannerselvam and submitted them evidences to prove my claims against Karuppannan. I have also sought appropriate action against him.”
The MLA said while he worked hard with the party cadres for the victory of the AIADMK candidate from Tirupur Lok Sabha constituency, M S M Anandan, the minister, along with his supporters, was working for the DMK and the AMMK by spending lakh for rupees for them.
“Karuppannan had thrown a party for his supporters, who worked for the DMK and the AMMK in the recent Lok Sabha polls. He told his supporters not to cast their votes to the AIADMK. We have collected lots of evidence against him and others, who worked against the AIADMK. I have shared the evidences with the chief minister and the deputy CM. We are waiting for the party headquarters to take action against the minister. Karuppannan is trying to destroy the party in Perundurai,” he said.
After the demise of former chief minister J Jayalalithaa, Thoppu Venkatachalam was appointed the state joint secretary of the Jayalalithaa Peravai. The cold war between the MLA and the minister was going on for many years with the former skipping programmes attended by the latter. It is to be noted that the MLA hadn’t even attend the chief minister’s programme in the district as Karuppannan was part of the same.