The DMK leadership on Thursday dismissed rebel MLA Ku.Ka. Selvam, elected from the Thousand Lights constituency in Chennai, from the primary membership of the party.
Mr. Selvam was recently suspended from the party after he met BJP national president J.P. Nadda in New Delhi and hailed Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Besides, he participated in a function at the BJP State headquarters on the day of the bhoomi pujan for the Ram Temple in Ayodhya.
In a statement in Chennai, DMK president M.K. Stalin said the reply sent by Mr. Selvam to the show cause notice on why he should not be expelled from the party was “not satisfactory”.
He was removed from the post of the office secretary of the party headquarters and member of the high-level executive committee “for bringing disrepute to the party and violating party discipline”.
Though Mr. Selvam supported the BJP, he has been maintaining that he had not joined the national party.
This is being seen as an obvious attempt to prevent attraction of disqualification from the Assembly under the anti-defection law.
Asked about the status of Mr. Selvam in the Assembly since he has been expelled from the DMK, Assembly sources said a decision would be taken by the Speaker after getting intimation from the DMK leadership.
“It is for the Speaker to decide,” the sources said when asked whether Mr. Selvam would be treated as an “unattached member” in the House.
