Former office-bearers of the South Indian Artistes' Association (SIAA) R Sarathkumar, Radha Ravi and Vagai Chandrasekar have been stripped of membership for not submitting accounts in the past two years of their 10-year tenure.The Nassar-led SIAA, popular as Nadigar Sangam, removed the three actors after Sunday's executive committee meeting.
Challenging the allegations against him, former treasurer Vagai Chandrasekar, now a DMK legislator, said, ���In response to complaints made against me, I met the commissioner and clarified my position. I am ready to face any legal action.��� During the recently concluded budget session, the DMK legislator had accused the ruling AIADMK of not holding the TN State Film Awards for the past five years.Chandrasekar denied political motive behind his removal from SIAA. In a statement, the Nadigar Sangam said the action was temporary. It read, ���Until the irregularities are probed and truth brought out, the members will remain suspended.���
Prior to the elections in October, Nasser and his team of actors had campaigned against former president Sarathkumar alleging misappropriation of the funds. After winning the elections, the new office-bearers studied accounts submitted by Sarathkumar through a special auditor and declared there were irregularities. What followed over the next one year was a series of complaints and counter-complaints to the city police commissioner by both sides. Last month, Nadigar member Varahi, the editor of `Indian Reporter,' alleged corruption by current office-bearers, claiming they misappropriated `3 crore in funds.Varahi alleged that the sangam heads had swindled money from the fund-raising star cricket event held recently .