Thirumavalavan said in a statement Monday that Aadhav Arjuna’s activities had “disrupted discipline” within the party.
“It came to the notice of the party’s chief executive committee that the party’s deputy general secretary, Aadhav Arjuna, is working against the welfare of the party…He has been continually working in conflict with the party by violating the party’s instructions,” Thirumavalavan said in the statement.
“Such activities have disrupted discipline among party functionaries and created a negative impact within the party,” he added. “Also, it will set a wrong example in the party. Considering such circumstances and the party’s welfare, the party’s chief executive committee, including the party’s leader and two general secretaries, have decided to take disciplinary action against him…”
Speaking at the book launch event in Chennai, Aadhav Arjuna took a dig at the ruling party by appealing to abolish dynastic politics in the 2026 election. Arjuna said the CM should not be elected based on birth.
“Monarchy system is not in place officially. But monarchy politics continues here. In 2026, monarchy politics should be abolished and the CM should not be elected just by their birth,” he said, apparently referring to the DMK’s youth wing secretary and Tamil Nadu deputy CM Udhayanidhi Stalin, who is the son of CM M. K. Stalin.
Party members were divided on the issue. For instance, a local functionary from Madurai district, who did not want to be identified, said it was because of Aadhav Arjuna that the DMK was proactive for the welfare of Dalits in the state.
“It was only after Aadhav Arjuna recalled the party’s stance of share in power and share in governance that the DMK inducted a fourth Dalit MLA Govi Chezhian into its cabinet,” said the local functionary who did not want to be named.
But the VCK’s deputy general secretary, Vanniyarasu, said such statements needling the DMK were unnecessary when there was no difference in opinion within the alliance partners.
“We have never ever lost our individual identity. But such statements will only pave the way for the third party to rise and it will not benefit the party. Being in alliance and constantly bad-mouthing the DMK would cost us dearly on the ground,” Vanniyarasu said.
On Monday evening, Aadhav Aruna issued a statement saying he felt the same emotion upon receiving his suspension notice as he did when he was appointed deputy general secretary of the party by Thirumavalavan.
Aadhav further declared his intention to “expose” those who claim to uphold ideology but engage in corrupt practices. He vowed to continue speaking out against religious majoritarianism, caste dominance, and all forms of injustice towards the underprivileged.
Pre-empting strains in alliance
Political commentators said Aadhav Arjuna’s suspension was a significant move by the VCK before next year’s election.
Former head and professor of the political science department at Madras University, Ramu Manivannan, said the VCK’s action was to prevent any uncomfortable incidents that could strain the alliance.
“The VCK does not want any trouble within the alliance anymore. By eliminating Aadhav, VCK has cleared discomfort within the alliance,” Ramu Manivannan said.
“Some of Aadhav’s statements made equations with the DMK uncomfortable. The VCK is already on good terms with the DMK. So, when the alliance with DMK is already intact, such statements from Aadhav become unnecessary uncomfortable situations,” he added.
VCK’s political compulsions
It is not the first time that Aadhav Arjuna has caused strains in the ruling DMK alliance.
He first triggered controversy on 22 September by seeking a share in power and a share in governance in an interview with a Tamil news channel.
Thirumavalavan warned him back then, without taking any disciplinary action since a share in power and share in governance was the party’s ideological stand ever since it was founded.
But political commentator N. Sathiya Moorthy said Thirumavalavan has given too long a rope to Aadhav Arjuna, despite knowing that it could create challenges for him on the ground.
“He was taken into the party out of nowhere and was given a senior position in the party. Despite what has happened in the past two months, Thirumavalavan has been saving him from all the discomfort,” Sathiya Moorthy said.
Some leaders said the VCK has been under pressure from its alliance partner, the DMK, to remove Aadhav Arjuna, but VCK general secretary Sinthanai Selvan told ThePrint that it was a conscious decision by the party’s administrative committee.
“Had we been under pressure, we would have taken such a decision at the first instance itself. Saying that we are under pressure is insulting us. It is our leader who had asked Aadhav Arjun to participate in the book launch event, but what he spoke at the event was not in line with the party’s stand,” Sinthanai Selvan said.
Political commentator Sathiya Moorthy said pressure might have come from the ground.
“Even though the DMK leadership did not react to Aadhav Arjuna’s comments, it would have had an impact on the grassroots level cadres of the DMK. In the upcoming elections, there will not be coordination between the DMK and VCK cadres, if VCK does not take action against Aadhav,” said Moorthy.
Hours after suspending Aadhav Arjuna, VCK leader Thirumavalavan as well as general secretaries Sinthanai Selvan and D. Ravikumar met the chief minister at the secretariat.
Who is Aadhav Arjun?
Aadhav Arjun, 42, was born in Trichy in Tamil Nadu and has a Master’s in political science from Madras Christian College in Chennai.
After losing his mother at a young age, he was taken care of by his stepmother Thilagavathi IPS, who was the first Woman IPS officer from Tamil Nadu.
He is the son-in-law of lottery king Santiago Martin, the biggest contributor to the DMK through electoral bonds, and has close ties with the DMK’s first family since DMK patriarch M. Karunanidhi’s days.
It was in 2014 that Aadhav first joined hands with DMK to work for the party’s election strategy.
According to the sources in DMK, it was Aadhav Arjun who brought in poll strategist Sunil and later, Prashant Kishor of IPAC to devise an election strategy for the DMK in the 2019 Lok Sabha and 2021 assembly elections.
He later worked with Populus Empowerment Network (PEN) founded by DMK leader M.K. Stalin’s son-in-law, Sabareesan.
Just before this year’s Lok Sabha election, Aadhav left PEN and joined the VCK officially and was appointed as deputy general secretary of the party.
Apart from the party position, Aadhav founded his own political consultancy firm Voice of Commons (VoC) to work for the VCK. It was Aadhav’s VoC that was instrumental in conducting two big VCK conferences, including one on total prohibition on 2 October.
He is also the president of the Basketball Federation of India.
In the 2021 assembly election, in alliance with the ruling DMK party, the VCK contested six assembly seats and won four with a 0.99 percent vote share.
However, in the 2024 Lok Sabha election, the VCK contested two seats from the DMK alliance and won both and secured a 2.25 percent vote share.
This report has been updated to reflect Aadhav Arjuna’s statement.
(Edited by Sugita Katyal)
Also Read: How VCK won with big margins in Tamil Nadu LS polls when Dalit parties in other states drew a blank
