Neglect of loyalists angers Alagiri

Barely days after DMK president M Karunanidhi spent “sleepless nights” over intra-party squabble among second line leaders, his elder son and Union Minister M K Alagiri trained his guns on the leadership on Thursday for neglecting his loyalists while filling up organisational posts.

Alagiri, who is also the party’s south zone organising secretary, told journalists that “I had submitted a list of candidates for office-bearer’s posts in various wings of the DMK but the high command has ignored it.” He made this blunt remark after meeting his supporters here.

By publicly sharing his disenchantment with the way the high command has bulldozed his recommendations, Alagiri has once again made it known that he cannot be mollified into giving up political aspirations by mere courtesy visits undertaken by his younger brother and DMK treasurer M K Stalin.

Just three days ago, Stalin had called on a beleaguered Alagiri at his bungalow in Madurai to express solidarity with the latter whose son Durai Dayanidhi is on the run after the police began hunting for him in connection with an alleged multi-crore granite mining scam. “As DMK organising secretary for southern districts I had recommended candidates of my choice to be appointed in the party’s units in Madurai Rural, Madurai Urban, Theni and other areas, but my recommendation has not been accepted. Cadre who did not get the posts met me today,” said Alagiri. He had recommend names for 11 frontal organisations including the party’s youth wing, farmers’ wing and lawyers’ wing.

Incidentally, Alagiri chose to meet his supporters while the rest of the DMK’s first family, including Stalin, were in Chennai to attend the marriage function of the kin of Karunanidhi’s former personal secretary Gopal, who hailed from Tirumangalam in Madurai. None of Alagiri’s supporters like P M Mannan and P Moorthy could make it to the marriage. However, Thalapathi, a supporter-turned-foe from Madurai, was a conspicuous attendee at the wedding.