Even as the turmoil in the DMK continued on Saturday with the suspended MK Alagiri hitting out at his party, arch rival AIADMK too had its share of rumblings of discontent with Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and party general secretary Jayalalithaa not only replacing one of her party candidates N Chinnadurai for the Rajya Sabha polls but also expelling him for “anti-party activities”.

Alagiri, who met reporters at the palatial beach-front house of his poetess daughter Kayalvizhi on the East Coast Road, declared that the DMK would be wiped away in the upcoming lok Sabha elections. “There is no need for me to sabotage the chances of the DMK candidates in the coming lok Sabha elections. The DMK itself will get annihilated,” said Alagiri (62) when he was asked whether he would fight against the DMK candidates.

Alagiri, the elder son of DMK chief M Karunanidhi, was suspended from the party following a verbal spat with his father on Friday. He said there is no democracy in the DMK. “I am being hounded out by a section of the party leaders who do not have any mass base,” said Alagiri. The estranged son of Karunanidhi also asked why no disciplinary actions were taken against those who put up banners and posters depicting Stalin as the next Chief Minister and the party chief. “These things are being done even as the party chief is alive and kicking,” he said.

Alagiri said he would not contest the lok Sabha elections. This means “the brave heart” has made up his mind to focus on Tamil Nadu politics where he is comfortable. Some of the DMK insiders said there is a strong chance of the leadership fielding Kayalvizhi from Maduari. Karunanidhi too is favourably disposed towards fielding Kayalvizhi as she has proved her mettle as a poetess.

long time DMK watchers are of the view that if Alagiri keeps quiet without voicing his views against the line of action of the DMK on the eve of 16th lok Sabha elections, revocation of his suspension is a clear possibility. “Given the family situation where the heart burning is between Alagiri and Stalin, it remains to be seen whether Alagiri would take the extreme action bidding for his better times. But followers of Alagiri who are more faithful to their leader than the party itself might cause more turbulence in the party structure either by their utterances or by their actions,” said N Kalyanasundaram, who has closely followed Dravidian politics for more than five decades.

Though the superficial opinion is that the strong action against Alagiri was a result of his Opposition to any alliance with the Vijayakant-led DMDK, seasoned leaders in the DMK who have grown with the party expressed the view that it is only the tip of the iceberg. “The rumblings in the party are made more audible by the party leadership probably to cover up the rebellion in the family of Karunanidhi following the decision to crown Stalin as his successor,” said Kalyanasundaram.

Meanwhile, AIADMK leader Jayalalithaa sprang a surprise by expelling N Chinnadurai, one of the four candidates of the party for the February 7 Rajya Sabha elections. In an official release, Jayalalithaa said Chinnadurai who “had brought disrepute to the AIADMK” is being replaced with AK Selvaraj, a former Minister as the party candidate who hails from Coimbatore.

Chinnadurai (44) was expelled from the party following serious charges of misappropriation of official funds during his tenure as chairman of the Thoothukudi district panchayat between 2006 and 2010. Based on a complaint by M Ganeshan in Thoothukudi district, the Madras High Court had ordered a probe against Chinnadurai for irregularities to the tune of Rs 2 crore.