Chennai, May 30 (IANS): The MDMK's Presidium Chairman Tirupati S. Duraisamy on Tuesday quit the Tamil Nadu party following a face-off with Durai Vaiko, son of party Chairman Vaiko.

Duraisamy told media persons that he was relinquishing the primary membership of the party and all party responsibilities.

However, he said that he was quitting politics but not public life, adding that he would work for spreading the ideals of DMK founder leader C.N. Annadurai, and E.V. Ramasamy Periyar, the champions of the Dravidian movement.

He said that there was no more need to sustain the MDMK as the party contested under the 'rising sun' symbol of DMK in the 2019 (Lok sabha) and 2021 (Assembly) elections.

Duraisamy had earlier called for a merger of MDMK with DMK and had dared the party leadership to take action against him.

He said that he had written a letter to Chief Minister M.K. Stalin to convert the house where Annadurai lived at Nungambakkam in Chennai into a memorial.

He also reminded the party leadership that he was the only surviving Dravidian politician who was a member of the DMK during its formation in 1949 by Anna.