News Brief
LTTE Supporter, 12 Criminal Cases: The Controversial Background Of New Tamil Nadu Congress President K Selvaperunthagai
Nishtha Anushree
Feb 19, 2024, 06:15 PM | Updated 06:15 PM IST
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On Saturday (17 February), K Selvaperunthagai was appointed as the president of the Tamil Nadu Congress Committee. He will replace KS Alagiri. However, his background is filled with too many ironies for the Congress.
Selvaperunthagai was a supporter of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). He was earlier part of the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) which had advocated for the release of former PM Rajiv Gandhi's killers.
Also, Selvaperunthagai represents Sriperumbudur in the Tamil Nadu Assembly. It is the same place where Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated by LTTE terrorists.
Another Congress leader and former Sriperumbudur MLA D Yashoda had even questioned Selvaperunthagai's candidacy in the 2016 elections citing his support for the LTTE.
She alleged that Selvaperunthagai joined Congress just to protect his ill-gotten wealth. Notably, Selvaperunthagai came to Congress in 2010 and lost the 2016 elections to the AIADMK candidate.
There are allegations of Selvaperunthagai even attacking the Congress office in December 2008. Even after joining Congress, he was reportedly stopped from meeting Rahul Gandhi due to his LTTE background.
He was detained under the Goondas Act when Jayalalitha was the Chief Minister. He even faced imprisonment on charges of murder of an auditor. His own disclosure reveals his involvement in 12 criminal cases.
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Nishtha Anushree is Senior Sub-editor at Swarajya. She tweets at @nishthaanushree.
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