Chennai: If there was any doubt M.K. Alagiri, the rebellious son of DMK president Karunanidhi, would try his best to sabotage the DMK in the April 24 Lok Sabha poll, that disappeared after his latest directive to his followers to ‘toil hard and ensure that the DMK comes only fourth in Tamil Nadu’.
As if to demonstrate how serious the Madurai satrap was with his threat, his close follower and sitting MP of the DMK from Ramnad, actor J. K. Ritheesh joined the AIADMK in the presence of Jayalalithaa on Thursday. Insiders insist he would not have done that without Alagiri’s nod.
Mr Alagiri’s statement released from his Madurai residence on Thursday is hilarious. “The DMK should be pushed to the fourth place in the coming Lok Sabha elections. And the DMK cadres must work real hard to make sure this happens”, said Alagiri’s statement to ripples of laughter in all the political corridors, except Anna Arivalayam, the DMK headquarters here.
Speaking to reporters after getting his AIADMK card from party supremo Jayalalithaa at her Poes Garden bungalow Thursday morning, Ritheesh said he had no option but to quit the DMK as the party leadership was repeatedly sidelining him. “DMK founder Anna had said none would be able to destroy the party, except someone from within it. That’s precisely what Stalin is doing to the DMK right now”.
“Please do not mention his (Alagiri) name here. We have no comments to offer; it’s not worth commenting on”, said a senior DMK functionary.
