Former union minister Napoleon quits DMK; joins BJP

Alleging lack of intra-party democracy in the Dravida Munetra Kazhagam, former union minister D Napoleon on Sunday joined the Bharatiya Janata Party, which has set eyes on strengthening its presence in Tamil Nadu ahead of 2016 assembly elections.

An actor-turned politician and supporter of expelled DMK leader M K Alagiri, Napoleon joined the BJP in the presence of its President Amit Shah here, a day after quitting the DMK.

"I did not like the functioning of the DMK. There was no intra party democracy. The party elections were not conducted the way it should be," he told reporters after formally joining the BJP at the party office in Chennai.

He is the third prominent person to join the BJP during the Shah's two-day tour of the state. Lyricist Gangai Amaran and choreographer Gayathri Raguram joined the party on Saturday.

The BJP, which led a rainbow alliance of smaller parties in the Lok Sabha elections, has been seeking to position itself as an alternative to the Dravidian majors DMK and  the  All India Anna Dravida Munetra Kazhagam, accusing both of neglecting the development of the state.

Napoleon, who was union minister of state for social justice and empowerment in the United Progressive Alliance government between 2009 and 2012, had been sidelined in DMK for supporting party President M Karunanidhi's elder son Alagiri, who has been removed from the party earlier this year.

A former member of Legislative Assembly, Napoleon is also a close relative of former state minister and Tiruchirappalli DMK strongman K N Nehru. Hailing Narendra Modi as a ‘visionary’, he said his entry into the BJP was to strengthen the "prime minister's hands in every deed".

Replying to a query about DMK Treasurer M K Stalin, he said, "I do not have any opinion against any individual. In fact, I spoke to Karunanidhi and got his blessings before joining the BJP."

In a letter to the DMK president and general secretary, Napoleon had said he was quitting the party and thanked those, who supported him. However, he did not mention any reasons for his decision.