ANOTHER BIG ACTRESS QUITS CONGRESS; TO JOIN BJP?

Initially with TRS, Vijayashanti parted ways to join the Congress in 2014. It wasn’t long ago that another actress-turned-politician Khushbu Sundar pulled the plug on Congress and jumped ship to the BJP, followed soon by transwoman activist Apsara Reddy who decided to rejoin the ADMK.

While she was leaving the Congress, Khushbu had claimed that her voice was getting suppressed. “I really feel that Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami is providing Amma’s rule. I strongly believe that a transgender woman will get due recognition in the AIADMK because I experienced it during the times of Amma,” Reddy had said while joining the ADMK to TNIE.

“I came into politics because of Madam J Jayalalithaa. Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami, Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam and their entire council of Ministers have done a phenomenal job during the COVID-19 period. And the recent measure of providing 7.5 percent reservation for government school students who clear NEET is a significant step for the welfare of rural students in Tamil Nadu,” she said further.

“Particularly, I wish to say that the 'high command politics' of the Congress will never be suitable for Tamil Nadu. In the Congress, everything is driven by the party’s national leadership. So, locally, the party is very weak. As far as Tamil Nadu is concerned, people wish that leaders reach out to them with welfare schemes. If I want to do something for the people of Tamil Nadu, I have to be with a political party from this state. So, I am returning to the AIADMK,” she added.

She also explained why she had joined the Congress earlier - “After the demise of Amma (J Jayalalithaa), there was a lot of confusion in the AIADMK and I did not want to make any comment on any of the factions at that time. So, I joined the Congress to continue my services to the people.”

“I feel that the present AIADMK government should continue after the 2021 Assembly elections. So, I want to strengthen the hands of this government and tell the people about the good work the AIADMK is doing because it deserves to retain power,” she explained on joining the ADMK.