Tamil Nadu politics is set for a major shake up after DMK chief M Karunanidhi, Friday, suspended his son MK Alagiri from the party for his continued opposition to efforts to stitch an alliance with Vijaykanth’s DMDK.
Karunanidhi’s strong action against his own son also indicates that the DMK patriarch has finally decided to end the bitter leadership tussle in the family. By suspending Alagiri, the DMK chief has made it clear that he favours his younger son MK Stalin to take over the reins of the party.
Alagiri had recently asserted that, for him, Karunandhi was the only leader of the DMK and he will not accept anyone else.
Alagiri always had an uncomfortable relationship with Stalin. Over the years, both brothers had divided territories – Stalin controlled party affairs in northern parts of the state including Chennai while Alagiri was the party’s undisputed boss in southern region, especially Madurai.
Karunanidhi had also been particular to keep the scales balanced – Stalin was the Deputy CM in last DMK government while Alagiri was sent to Delhi as a union minister.
But Karunanidhi had time and again expressed his fondness for Stalin, to which Alagiri once said that DMK is not a “mutt” that the throne can be handed down.
However, with DMK facing the prospect of a washout in the Lok Sabha polls and also in view of the upcoming Rajya Sabha polls, Karunanidhi seems to have decided to get the house in order.
The tie up with ‘Captain’ Vijaykanth was part of the plan as DMK could not have taken on J Jayalalithaa’s AIADMK on its own. After the washout in the last assembly elections, DMK was replaced by Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam (DMDK) as the principle opposition party in the assembly and Vijaykanth became the Leader of the Opposition.
Karunanidhi, Wednesday, reiterated there have been no talks with the DMDK on forging an alliance for the general elections but an invite has been sent to the party.
While majority in the party leadership were keen to go with the DMDK, Alagiri had opposed the plan and said that he did not consider Vijaykanth – a movie superstar – a politician hence the party should not tie-up with him.
But the real reason behind Alagiri’s aversion to Vijayakant was because both hailed from Madurai and he feared that ‘Captain’ will encroach on his fiefdom.
