Gautami exited from the BJP on 23 October, 2023 and cited betrayal and lack of support as the driving forces behind her resignation.
Actor-politician Gautami joins the AIADMK months after quitting the BJP. (X)
Ahead of Lok Sabha polls, prominent actor and former Tamil Nadu BJP leader Gautami Tadimalla officially joined the AIADMK on Wednesday, 14 February, in the presence of the party’s general secretary, Edappadi K Palaniswami (EPS).
On Wednesday, Gautami called on former chief minister EPS at his residence in Chennai and formally joined the AIADMK, a press release said.
The AIADMK chief handed over a copy of the book Maaperum Tamilkanavu (The Great Tamil Dream), donning an image of former chief minister CN Annadurai, to Gautami on the occasion.
“I was impressed by Annan (elder brother in Tamil) for his ability to unite everyone to fight for the welfare of the people. Today, I am very happy to join the party. By joining the AIADMK, I hope I will be able to serve the people,” Gautami told reporters.
The news follows Gautami’s dramatic exit from the BJP on 23 October, 2023.
While resigning, the actor-turned-politician had alleged that C Alagappan, a builder closely associated with the BJP, had “betrayed and cheated” her. She claimed that this and the lack of support from BJP members were the driving forces behind her exiting the party she had been part of for 25 years.
“Even through all the challenges I have faced in my life, I have honoured that commitment. Yet today, I stand at an unimaginable crisis point in my life and find that not only do I not have any support from the party and leaders, but it has also come to my knowledge that several of them have been actively helping and supporting the very person who has betrayed my trust and cheated me of my life earnings,” Gautami had said in her statement following her resignation.
When Gautami was at the peak of her career in the South Indian film industry, her mother T Vasundhara Devi had bought a plot of 46 acres in Sriperumbudur.
She married a businessman in 1998, but they divorced a year later. At the age of 35, the actor was diagnosed with breast cancer. At this point, Alagappan, a builder by profession, approached the actor, and Alagappan’s family won her trust.
He assured the actor that he would help her sell her properties. Believing this, in 2004, according to Gautami, she gave Alagappan the power of attorney to process the properties for sale. For years, Alagappan and his family dodged Gautami, saying they were waiting for the right deal.
Later, when Gautami approached Alagappan to return the power of attorney, he refused.
On 11 September 2023, Gautami lodged a complaint with the Chennai City Police stating that Alagappan and his family had prepared forged documents, using the signature they obtained in blank documents while transferring a power of attorney and had misappropriated funds and properties worth ₹25 crore.
In the complaint, she said that she learned that they prepared documents showing Alagappan and his wife Nachal were the owners of her land.
“When I tried to get back my properties, Alagappan and his family threatened me and my daughter,” she claimed and sought action.
Soon after her complaint, Alagappan, residing in Velachery in the city, absconded with his family. Sources said that a few BJP senior leaders supported the builder who tried to cheat Gautami of her life’s earnings.
The complaint was forwarded to the Cybercrime Wing, but the FIR was registered only after a few days.
Following Gautami’s resignation, the police acted on the FIR, naming six people, including Alagappan’s son and daughter-in-law, and said they had formed a special team to trace the absconding builder and his family.
On 21 December, Alagappan, his family, and his driver were arrested.
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