M K Alagiri, Madurai based elder son of DMK patriarch M Karunanidhi, has come out in the open questioning the legality of MK Stalin, his younger brother, continuing as the working president of the party. “So long as Stalin continues as the leader of the party, DMK will not win any election in Tamil Nadu,” Alagiri told reporters on Wednesday.
Referring to the DMK candidate losing deposit in the recently held RK Nagar by-poll, Alagiri said this was further proof of Stalin’s inefficiency and incapacity. “I heard Durai Murugan, DMK leader, telling that the party votes were eaten up by money. Does this mean that the DMK voters could be bought over by moneyIJ” asked a visibly upset Alagiri.
In the by-election held at the RK Nagar Assembly constituency which was represented in the Assembly by late J Jayalalithaa, the DMK finished a poor third and forfeited deposit. While the DMK candidate Shimla Muthuchozhan had polled 57,673 votes in the 2016 Assembly election from this constituency, Maruthu Ganesh, the candidate fielded by the DMK for the by-election failed to poll even half of it .
Alagiri’s outburst comes at a time when political commentators have observed that the DMK votes have been transferred en-masse to TTV Dinakaran, the AIADMK rebel who emerged victorious surprising the pundits.
Alagiri said there was nothing surprising in Dinakaran’s victory. “It is the result of his hard work and the anger of the people towards the AIADMK and the DMK,” said Alagiri who has been keeping a low profile since he was expelled from the party in early 2014. Taking potshots at his brother, Alagiri stated that by campaigning in an open van, one can never get votes from the public.
Madurai based Alagiri has been side-lined by the DMK leadership since the 2011 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections. Since then the DMK has not won a single election. Alagiri, addressed by fans as Anjanenchan (Tamil for braveheart) is credited with the victories registered by the DMK in most of the elections. The DMK which won the 1999 lok Sabha election sidelined Alagiri when it was time for the 2001 Assembly election and paid a big price by losing the election because of Alagiri’s non-cooperation.
Karunanidhi who was upset by the defeat brought back Alagiri to the party leadership and he ensured that the DMK got a big mandate in the 2004 lok Sabha polls. He was rewarded for the same by Karunanidhi who elevated Alagiri as the south zone chief of the DMK.
Alagiri played the role of a strategist in the ensuing Assembly election in 2006 which was won by the DMK. He also played a significant role in leading the DMK-led front to victory in the 2009 lok Sabha polls. But Karunanidhi promoting Stalin as the deputy Chief Minister upset Alagiri who questioned the propriety of the action openly. Since then he had maintained a distance from the party leadership which has affected the DMK’s poll prospects.