Amid rumours that she was joining the BJP, Congress MLA S. Vijayadharani said she was “neither confirming nor denying the news”.
“I am surprised. But I am neither going to deny, nor confirm it,” Ms. Vijayadharani, who is now in Delhi, told The Hindu. The three-time legislator, who was elected from Vilavancode Assembly constituency, said she was in Delhi in connection with a case she was fighting in the Supreme Court.
‘MLA unhappy’
Sources close to her said that she was unhappy with the Congress leadership for denying her the post of the floor leader in the Tamil Nadu Assembly.
“She is a three-time MLA who used to function from the front row of the Assembly. She has been relegated to the post of party whip, and pushed to the back benches,” they said.
According to them, Ms. Vijayadharani, who has been active in the Congress since her student days, never considered the idea of switching her loyalty. “However, the high command failed to heed her request for nominating her as the candidate for the Nagercoil Lok Sabha constituency in 2019, and again during the byelection – caused by the death of the sitting MP Vasanthkumar – despite her having a good chance of winning. One cannot rule out plans to change her political direction,” the sources said.
