DMK will face poll rout: Alagiri

Chennai: A day after Anna Arivalayam showed him the door, M. K. Alagiri on Saturday only attempted to strain the ties further by overtly predicting DMK rout in the crucial Lok Sabha poll, which, in all probability would be engineered by his overpowering younger brother and party treasurer M. K. Stalin whom he holds responsible for his suspension.

When reporters asked him if he would field rebel candidates, as did he in the past, in coming LS polls, Alagiri toldmedia persons at his daughter’s residence on the city outskirts, “Rebel candidates are not necessary as they will lose (all) on their own.”

Declaring that he would not contest the LS polls, an angry Alagiri, when asked if he would apologize to his father, outright ruled it out and said, “Democracy is dead in the party. It (suspension) was the reward for seeking justice. I will unveil my plans during a media briefing in Madurai on January 31.”

Next: Alagiri supporters splash madurai walls with posters seeking his guidance

Alagiri supporters splash madurai walls with posters seeking his guidance

AR. Meyyammai | DC

Madurai: A day after DMK leadership suspended former Uni­on minister M.K.Ala­giri fr­om the party, posters bragging loyalty to him but ber­eft of the picture his father and party chief M.Karun­anidhi have sprung up on Madurai walls.

While a poster describes Alagiri as “a direction tool” and says the supporters are on the way he shows and th­ey are waiting for Jan. 30, his birthday, another reads they would tread only an­nan’s’ path. Multi-co­lo­ured po­sters of this kind are now found on the walls. And, all of them do not car­ry the picture of Kar­una­nidhi.

However, the po­sters pasted by his supporters, who have depleted in nu­mbers, prior to Ala­giri’s su­spension carried the pat­riarch’s portrait tho­ugh not his brother M.K.St­alin’s as found in the previous years.

With most of the city’s public walls adorned with Alagiri birthday posters, the Stalin camp that is waiting for the organisational polls in the Madurai ur­ban district unit to replace Alagiri men who have been occupying 90 percent of the posts is cut up.

“The police and the civic body seem to be going soft on his supporters who have defaced the compound walls of the public properties but they, without any hesitation and verification, have booked us under SC/ST Act based on their complaint,” one of the se­ven members of the adhoc committee formed by the party to monitor organisational polls laments.

Former mayor P. Kulan­da­ivelu and die-hard Stalin lo­yalist M.Jeyaram who are facing the SC/ST case are awaiting anticipatory bail. The Madurai bench of Ma­dras HC has directed the lo­wer court to consider their bail applications and pass suitable orders upon their surrender.