No dad can bear to hear such words: M Karunanidhi
Chennai: Lashing out at his elder son and former DMK organising secretary (south zone) M.K. Alagiri for violating party code of conduct, DMK president M. Karunandihi said on Tuesday that Alagiri had even said that party treasurer and his younger sibling M.K. Stalin would die in the next three or four months.
In an apparent escalation of in-party rivalry between DMK patriarch Karunandhi and his Madurai-based son, Karunanidhi told reporters that Alagiri had of late forgotten that he was a party member holding a critical position and made announcements that led to erroneous consequences.
Alagiri was earlier suspended from the party on January 24 for allegedly indulging in anti-party activities. It is widely believed that action was taken against him for openly expressing his opposition to a DMK-DMDK alliance for the Lok Sabha polls.
“In DMK, only the president, general secretary or treasurer of the party can announce decisions taken by the party’s executive general council. But Alagiri has been issuing statements on behalf of the party that led to wrong political consequences,” Karunanidhi said.
Pointing out that Alagiri had always nurtured a long-term, unreasonable hatred against party treasurer Stalin, Kalaignar said the animosity reached a high point on January 24 when he barged into the former’s house early in the morning and awakened him from sleep to complain about Stalin.
“The unpleasant, hateful words that he used against Stalin made by blood boil and stopped my heart. He yelled out that Stalin would die in the next three or four months. No father can bear to hear such words about his son. I bore it only as the leader of a political party,” Karunanidhi said.
Mocking at Alagiri’s earlier statement that he had gone to meet his father only to seek justice for disciplinary action taken by the party against his friends, Kalaignar asked if anyone would go to his party leader’s home at 6 or 7 am in the morning seeking justice?
“Police have been asked to take action against DMK Madurai district secretary Moorthy under the PCR Act. As the party leader, I investigated the matter and punished him. How can that be wrong?” the DMK patriarch asked.
When asked if he would reinstate Alagiri if he apologised, Karunanidhi said, “Alagiri has to answer the question.”
Stalin supporters burn alagiri effigies
Chennai: Following the outburst of DMK chief Karunanidhi against his son Alagiri on Tuesday, supporters of another son Stalin, burnt effigies of Alagiri in Chennai and suburban areas.
Groups of DMK men shouted slogans against Alagiri and set his effigies on fire at Valluvarkottam, Eldams Road, Red Hills and many other places in Tambaram and surrounding areas. Karunanidhi in a press conference had accused Alagiri, who is suspended from the party, that he had abused Stalin. “Alagiri also talked about Stalin’s death in three months,” Karunanidhi said.
Posters appeared in some parts of the city condemning Alagiri for threatening Karunanidhi and thus risking his life.
Karuna’s statement triggers cyber flutter
Chennai: The DMK patriach’s startling announcement on Tuesday that Alagiri had said Stalin would die in three to four months created a furore in social media with several prominent citizens and common folk coming down heavily on the family rivalry in the Dravidian major.
The Twitterati fraternity even wondered if this was a fight over 2G money.
Noted media personality Pritish Nandy in his tweet said, “What a charming family! Karunanidhi claims that his son Alagiri told him that his brother Stalin will die in 3 months. Fight over 2G money?”
While DMK supporters and fans of the veteran politician lamented the abysmal depths to which the party had plunged of late due to sibling rivalry, many Twitter users even wondered if Alagiri had made just an observation or a veiled threat.
For instance, Twitter user SekarA wonders, “Does this mean that Stalin would die a natural death in three months or would he be killed?”
Other users even suggested that the DMK president should lodge a police complaint against Alagiri as the statement should be interpreted as a death threat.
However, political observers in the state remained cynical of the move by Karunanidhi and pointed out that it could all be a ploy by the veteran politician to garner limelight as well as send feelers to party cadres not to stand by Alagiri.
“We have seen this many times in the past. After the storm passes, Karuna will gladly embrace his prodigal son as he has done often in the past. It is just a gimmick and we have to wait and see what was the intended outcome,” says a BJP leader in the state.