Karunanidhi plans grand poll alliance

Chennai: DMK president M. Karunanidhi has stepped up efforts to cobble up a ‘grand alliance’ to face the Lok Sabha polls expected in about five months from now.

While his son and party treasurer M.K. Stalin is hard-wooing ‘Captain’ Vijayakanth, daughter and Rajya Sabha member Kan­im­ozhi got Union health minister Gulam Nabi Azad to fly down to meet dad at her CIT Nagar bungalow on Thursday. VCK chief Thol. Thirumavalavan is already firmly in the DMK camp, which also has the IUML and MMK, besides the Puthiya Tamizhagam.

Some DMK seniors insist that Dhalapathy (Stalin) is stoutly opposing alliance with the Congress but may fall in line if his father votes for it. A DMK functionary brushed aside the suggestion that Kanimozhi was pushing for a Congr­e­ss tie-up in the hope of getting off the Spectrum hook, pointing out that the Con­gress did precious no­th­­ing when she spent sev­en gruelling months in Tihar jail as a 2-G undertrial.

“Why would the Cong­ress want to help Kani now, when they looked the other way when she was taken to the jail?” he asked, when DC sought his response to the rumours that Kanimozhi was pushing the Congress upon an unwilling DMK.

Next: Congress finds TN tough going

Congress finds TN tough going

Chennai: The Congress party is fin­ding it difficult to wake up from the sweet dream of 2009 when it had forced the DMK to part with 15 seats and won eight.

The party is now unable to convince the DMK and the DMDK to join up. “We are not sure about alli­ance with the Congress. Some talks have taken place and there is still a long way to go. It is a different case with Vijay­ak­anth. We are taking ser­ious efforts to get him in,” said a DMK senior, re­q­uesting anonymity.

His argument: “We thi­nk that even if the DMDK now has seven to eight per cent vote-share, that would still make it a useful ally in such a critically important election.” At the same time, he thought the Congress would be a ‘drag’ on the DMK energies.

A sense of pride pervaded across the DMK units, particularly among the Kanimozhi followers, following Gulam Nabi Az­ad’s ‘courtesy meeting’ with DMK chief Kar­un­anidhi on Thursday. “Az­ad’s flying down is a signal to other parties that we are a major force in the state and a safe bet as allies,” summarised a pa­rty senior.

But others felt it was also a signal from Kani­m­ozhi to her two brothers-party treasurer Stalin and former Union minister Alagiri-that she cannot be wished away in the party decision-making hierarchy as it was she who got Azad down to Chennai.

DMK sources said thalaivar would settle for around 25 seats (out of the total 39+1 seats in Tamil Nadu and Puduc­herry) and was offering eight seats to Vijaya­ka­nth, besides one Rajya Sabha seat for Captain’s kin.

“If at all we take the Congress in, we will not give them more than five seats, may be less,” said former MP. In the 2009 Lok Sabha polls, the DMK had contested 22 seats (won 18, including VCK chief Thirumavalavan) in alliance with the Cong­ress, which wrested as many as 15 seats (won eight).

The DMDK had contested in all the 40 places and lost deposits everywhere. In contrast to the many ifs-and-buts in the DMK camp-and within the pa­rty’s first family-the rival AIADMK appears com­posed, and confident of delivering on party supr­emo Jayalalithaa’s wish to win all the 40 seats.

The process of screening candidates and identifying constituencies ha­ve already begun in the ruling AIADMK. The two Communist parties are trusted allies.

Next: Alagiri meets Karuna in bid to bury hatchet

Alagiri meets Karuna in bid to bury hatchet

Chennai: In a bid to bury the ha­t­chet with his fat­her-party president M. Karunanidhi, DM­K south zone organising secretary M.K. Al­a­giri on Saturday said the five Madurai men who were suspended for violating party di­s­c­ipline were not his loyalists.

Emerging out of Karunanidhi’s Gop­al­apuram residence after meeting his fat­h­er along with dau­ghter Kayalvizhi, Alagiri told mediapersons that the suspended five were not his supporters and “the pa­rty has taken action against them.”

Alagiri’s yo­unger sister Selvi was learnt to have played a key role in brokering peace between the father and son, whose relationship hit the nadir last week after the DMK south zone organising secretary, in a no holds barred TV interview, took a dig at Vija­yakanth, a po­tential ally for the ensuing Lok Sabha polls, besides the usual jibe at his younger brother Stalin.

Barely a couple of days back, Alagiri’s bid to warm up to Karunanidhi failed after the latter refused to me­et him, ignoring his grandchildren's persuasion. Alagiri has had a torrid time till now this New Year. First, his father disbanded the Madurai district party unit. Then, he threatened to expel him. Then he suspended five party men, three of whom were very close to Alagiri.