Chennai: Veteran CPI leader C Mahendran on Thursday joined chief minister C Joseph Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam. He formally inducted himself into the two-year-old party at its headquarters in Panaiyur.He told reporters after joining that Vijay has given hope that a corruption-free govt was possible. Mahendran recalled his lifelong association with CPI and said despite joining TVK, he would continue to wear his signature red towel, symbolizing that his core values remain unchanged.Mahendran lauded the TVK for creating a platform that enables ordinary citizens—those devoid of financial backing or caste influence—to contest and win elections. Far from abandoning his roots, Mahendran asserted that aligning with the TVK would ultimately serve to strengthen the foundational principles of communist ideology and public welfare.Meanwhile, Congress functionary V Shrinithi, who unsuccessfully contested from Singanallur constituency in Coimbatore, met former chief minister M K Stalin and joined DMK.
