Former union minister Ponnusamy joins BJP

Former Union Minister and AIADMK leader E Ponnusamy today joined the BJP after meeting its chief Amit Shah.

Ponnusamy joined the BJP in the presence of party's General Secretary V Muralidhar Rao and the party's Tamil Naidu unit president, said BJP's media cell co-incharge Sanjay Mayukh.

Ponnusamy, an influential dalit leader in the state, was associated with the PMK for about 15 years.

He had joined the AIADMK last year.

He was Union Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas during 1999-2001 when the PMK was part of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance government.