CHENNAI: DMK chief and former chief minister M Karunanidhi Friday has suspended his elder son MK Alagiri, from all party posts.
In a statement issued here, party general secretary K Anbazhagan said Alagiri was creating confusion in the party by urging party cadres not to work and criticising the disciplinary action taken by the party against some members for their anti-party activities.
He said the continuation of Alagiri in the party is not proper and would destroy the party discipline.
Hence Alagiri is temporarily suspended from the party.
"The members should accept this decision taken in the interests of the party and should stand united for the functioning of the party," Anbazhagan said.
Earlier in January, Karunanidhi had warned Alagiri and others that the party take action against those who voiced views contrary to the official line.
Alagiri, the then south zone organising secretary of DMK, had opposed an alliance with DMDK in the coming Lok Sabha polls.
Alagiri's opposition came after Karunanidhi had earlier said he would be happy if there was an alliance between the two parties.
Karunanidhi termed Alagiri's views regrettable and condemnable, saying they were contrary to the views expressed by him as party president.
The DMK chief's decision to suspend Alagiri was reportedly taken in consultation with his younger son and heir apparent MK Stalin, strengthening the belief that Alagiri is paying the price not for "anti-party activities" but for a series of confrontations with his younger brother that escalated after the ailing, aging Karunanidhi officially proclaimed Stalin as his heir.
The feud between Alagiri and Stalin is of long duration, and manifested violently back in February 1997 when the Tamil daily Dinakaran published a poll showing that Stalin was universally preferred to his elder brother. Incensed at the poll and accompanying article critical of Alagiri, his supporters attacked the Madurai office of the paper and set it on fire, killing three. Ironically, Dinakaran is part of the Sun TV media group owned by Karunanidhi’s grand-nephew Kalanidhi Maran; this fact led Alagiri to accuse his father and younger brother of using a captive mouthpiece to malign him.
Alagiri, the second son of Karunanidhi, did not have an official role in politics till late 2007, when he shifted base to Madurai and organized by-poll victories in 2008. During this phase he earned a reputation for harnessing muscle power to harass opponents and extend the DMK’s grip over the region.
For his efforts, he was rewarded with a Lok Sabha ticket from Madurai during the 2009 general elections. When he won, as he was expected to, the DMK used its influence as a UPA ally to get him a berth as Cabinet Minister for Chemicals and Fertilizers.
In New Delhi, Alagiri soon won a reputation for sloth, rarely if ever attending office, never participating in debates, and refusing to answer questions raised against his ministry. His tenure ended in March 2013 when his junior minister Srikanth Jena cited various irregularities in the ministry’s functioning, which in turn sparked allegations of corruption to the tune of hundreds of crores. Alagiri was removed from his post and Jena was rewarded with independent charge of the ministry.
Alagiri returned to his Madurai base, and made attempts to get back into the state political scene but was consistently sidelined by Karunanidhi and Stalin. This in turn led Alagiri to make a series of vitriolic statements against his father and younger brother, under the guise of criticizing the party functioning. The DMK leadership – that is to say, Karunanidhi and Stalin – issued several warnings against the rebellious elder son; it all boiled to a head when, heedless of the latest warning to not criticize party decisions, Alagiri went ahead and spoke out against the DMK’s projected alliance with the MDMK for the upcoming general elections.
It remains to be seen how Alagiri, never known to take things lying down, reacts to the official action. He has a muscular hold over Madurai and neighboring regions, and could conceivably mount a successful rebellion in that region against his father’s party.
In a statement issued here, party general secretary K Anbazhagan said Alagiri was creating confusion in the party by urging party cadres not to work and criticising the disciplinary action taken by the party against some members for their anti-party activities.
He said the continuation of Alagiri in the party is not proper and would destroy the party discipline.
Hence Alagiri is temporarily suspended from the party.
"The members should accept this decision taken in the interests of the party and should stand united for the functioning of the party," Anbazhagan said.
Earlier in January, Karunanidhi had warned Alagiri and others that the party take action against those who voiced views contrary to the official line.
Alagiri, the then south zone organising secretary of DMK, had opposed an alliance with DMDK in the coming Lok Sabha polls.
Alagiri's opposition came after Karunanidhi had earlier said he would be happy if there was an alliance between the two parties.
Karunanidhi termed Alagiri's views regrettable and condemnable, saying they were contrary to the views expressed by him as party president.
The DMK chief's decision to suspend Alagiri was reportedly taken in consultation with his younger son and heir apparent MK Stalin, strengthening the belief that Alagiri is paying the price not for "anti-party activities" but for a series of confrontations with his younger brother that escalated after the ailing, aging Karunanidhi officially proclaimed Stalin as his heir.
The feud between Alagiri and Stalin is of long duration, and manifested violently back in February 1997 when the Tamil daily Dinakaran published a poll showing that Stalin was universally preferred to his elder brother. Incensed at the poll and accompanying article critical of Alagiri, his supporters attacked the Madurai office of the paper and set it on fire, killing three. Ironically, Dinakaran is part of the Sun TV media group owned by Karunanidhi’s grand-nephew Kalanidhi Maran; this fact led Alagiri to accuse his father and younger brother of using a captive mouthpiece to malign him.
Alagiri, the second son of Karunanidhi, did not have an official role in politics till late 2007, when he shifted base to Madurai and organized by-poll victories in 2008. During this phase he earned a reputation for harnessing muscle power to harass opponents and extend the DMK’s grip over the region.
For his efforts, he was rewarded with a Lok Sabha ticket from Madurai during the 2009 general elections. When he won, as he was expected to, the DMK used its influence as a UPA ally to get him a berth as Cabinet Minister for Chemicals and Fertilizers.
In New Delhi, Alagiri soon won a reputation for sloth, rarely if ever attending office, never participating in debates, and refusing to answer questions raised against his ministry. His tenure ended in March 2013 when his junior minister Srikanth Jena cited various irregularities in the ministry’s functioning, which in turn sparked allegations of corruption to the tune of hundreds of crores. Alagiri was removed from his post and Jena was rewarded with independent charge of the ministry.
Alagiri returned to his Madurai base, and made attempts to get back into the state political scene but was consistently sidelined by Karunanidhi and Stalin. This in turn led Alagiri to make a series of vitriolic statements against his father and younger brother, under the guise of criticizing the party functioning. The DMK leadership – that is to say, Karunanidhi and Stalin – issued several warnings against the rebellious elder son; it all boiled to a head when, heedless of the latest warning to not criticize party decisions, Alagiri went ahead and spoke out against the DMK’s projected alliance with the MDMK for the upcoming general elections.
It remains to be seen how Alagiri, never known to take things lying down, reacts to the official action. He has a muscular hold over Madurai and neighboring regions, and could conceivably mount a successful rebellion in that region against his father’s party.
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