CHENNAI: Less than two years after he joined Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi, the party’s deputy general secretary Aadhav Arjuna resigned from the primary membership of the party on Sunday.
The resignation comes days after he was suspended from VCK and hours after VCK president Thol Thirumavalavan said Aadhav Arjuna’s controversial remarks even after suspension indicate that he has an agenda of his own.
“I don’t have any agenda except the growth of VCK,’’ Aadhav Arjuna said in his resignation letter sent to Thirumavalavan. “I was drawn towards VCK by its philosophy of power for people who were discriminated against due to caste hegemony for ages. I never had any difference of opinion with VCK’s ideology,’’ he said.
Aadhav Arjuna said that his moral anger and his comments against anti-people activities sparked debates. “After a point, the discussions took a turn creating a rift between you and me, which I did not like,’’ he said, explaining the reason for the resignation.
The 42-year-old athlete turned businessman became a political strategist and worked for DMK in the 2021 assembly elections. It was during this period that he got introduced to Thirumavalavan. He joined VCK in 2023 and was made deputy general secretary during VCK’s Vellum Jananayagam conference in January this year. Aadhav is also the son-in-law of lottery baron Santiago Martin.
Aadhav’s comments over the past few months targeting the DMK, particularly his dig at deputy chief minister Udhayanidhi Stalin, during the argument for a share in power for VCK did not go down well with DMK. The rift widened after he shared the stage with TVK president Vijay at the launch of a book on Ambedkar on Dec 6. In the event, Aadhav said `monarchy’ would be brought down in 2026, which was seen as a direct attack on VCK ally DMK. After a lot of intra-party deliberations, Thirumavalavan suspended him for six months for the remarks on December 9.
But Aadhav continued his criticism of DMK even after the suspension. Thirumavalavan said on Sunday morning that the remarks against DMK even after suspension indicated Aadhav had an agenda of his own. Within hours after Thirumavalavan’s statement, Aadhav tendered the resignation.
In the resignation letter, Aadhav recalled that his association with VCK began as a strategist, then a member and the party’s deputy general secretary. “I served in the post with dedication for the past two years,’’ he said.
Aadhav said he wants to travel alongside Thiruma in future in the political fight against caste, communal majoritarianism, discrimination of women and corruption. “Hence, I have decided to relieve myself completely from VCK to put an end to unnecessary controversies around me in public forums,’’ he said. “I have taken this decision with a heavy heart considering the circumstances,’ he added.
Aadhav said his political journey would continue for democracy, equality and equal justice.
