ERODE: DMK general secretary Duraimurugan on Saturday removed former minister ‘Thoppu’ Venkatachalam from his position as Erode central district secretary of the party. “Thoppu Venkatachalam, the in-charge for Erode central district, is relieved from that responsibility. The assembly constituencies belonging to Erode central district are reallocated as follows: Perundurai constituency is included in Erode south district, and Bhavani constituency is included in Erode north district. They will be administered by the respective district party secretaries,” Duraimurugan stated in a statement. Venkatachalam expressed disappointment over the development. “During the AIADMK regime, I had served as an MLA for ten years. I was also a minister. I worked wholeheartedly for the people of Perundurai, Sathyamangalam and Thalavadi. After joining DMK, I was given district responsibility four years later. In the past year I have worked tirelessly for the party,” Venkatachalam told reporters at the party office in Perundurai. On his defeat in Perundurai in the last assembly election, he said, “I lost by 9,000 votes. After that, DMK field workers came to me for advice. I told them action must be taken against those who worked against the party. I also raised people’s demands like drinking water supply with the Chief Minister.” Venkatachalam alleged that the Athikadavu–Avinashi water scheme, brought in during the AIADMK regime, was not implemented effectively under DMK, leading to public dissatisfaction. “In Perundurai, water was not released to tanks as planned. People blamed DMK govt for this lapse,” he said. Venkatachalam clarified that he had not joined any other party including TVK.
