Matrimonial discord costs actress Shruthi party post

Bangalore: Southern film actress and politician Shruthi has been removed from the post of chairperson of the Karnataka Women and Child welfare Board because she had generated controversy by filing for divorce from her party colleague and director S Mahendar and announcing plans to marry again.

A D Aswath, secretary of the Karnataka Women and Child Welfare Board, will be taking over the additional charge as the chairman, said a press statement released by the party.

Shruthi was unavailable for comments despite repeated attempts to contact her.

She made news when she had filed for divorce from Mahendar, her husband of 11 years. They have an eight-year-old daughter. Both of them are Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders and campaigned separately for the party in the recently held Parliamentary elections.

Mahendar had contested the recently held assembly elections in Karnataka from Kollegal constituency. However he did not win.

Within a few days after filing her divorce papers, Shruthi said she will be marrying journalist turned film director Chandrachud alias Chakri after the court accepts her plea for divorce.

According to a party source, the decision to remove Shruthi from the post was taken because the party had suffered from her recent actions and leaders from other political parties were demanding her ouster as well.

Women leaders from various parties were also campaigning against Shruthi ever since she filed for divorce and revealed her plans to marry again.

Some of the senior BJP leaders had urged Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa that Shruthi's continuance would harm the party's interests in the forthcoming corporation and municipal body elections, said the source.

Recently, Shruthi adopted a young blind girl from a voluntary agency dealing with child adoptions.

Along with Shruthi, Varthoor Prakash has also been removed from the post of chairperson of the Karnataka Water and Drainage Board because he embarrassed the party by saying that Congress legislative party leader Siddaramaiah continues to be his leader.