DMK chief dissolves Madurai unit
Functionaries close to M.K. Alagiri allegedly acted in defiance of party leadership.
Madurai: DMK president M. Karunanidhi’s indifference to his sons’ squabbles has cost the party again.
The DMK leadership was on Saturday forced to disband its Madurai district unit after functionaries close to Karunanidhi’s elder son and south zone organising secretary M.K. Alagiri indulged in anti-party activities in the southern town, violating their leader Kalaignar’s diktat.
Party general secretary K. Anbazhagan in an official release announced the disbanding of the entire district and its subordinate units and constituted a six-member caretaker committee.
Once Alagiri confidant and now Stalin loyalist G. Thalapathi has been appointed committee president. Stalin has won round one of the bout if one were to study the composition of the committee, which comprises only two Alagiri loyalists, C. Chinnammal and Paakiyanathan, while three of the other four, V. Veluchamy, M. Jayaram and M. Sethuramalingam are die-hard Stalin lieutenants in the temple town.
The dissolution was no knee-jerk reaction as the leadership had all six committee members and its presidents present at Anna Arivalayam even by late Friday.
Saturday’s dissolution order is perceived by party circles as miffed leadership’s cold-shoulder to Alagiri who ignored father-party chief Karunanidhi’s warning and issued statements equivalent to running a parallel party in the district by stating that he would discuss and decide whether to express regret for intimidating overtures.
Alagiri loyalists’ mischief also includes erecting several intimidating hoardings, some of which projected anjanenjan (as Alagiri is fondly called) as head of a breakaway faction of the DMK.
A senior party MP told Deccan Chronicle that it’s a definite setback to the party, especially when momentum was building up after the divorce with Congress ahead of the Lok Sabha polls.
“This is a planned mischief. Be it by poll or alliance, thalapathi is calling the shots now. Their (Alagiri and company) intention is to disturb this,” the MP quickly added also blaming Karunanidhi for fuelling the discord by keeping mum.
Another party executive committee member admitted that Stalin was not accessible to some and Madurai mischief-makers were trying to woo them and widen their base.