It is not just actor Rajinikanth who keeps the people of Tamil Nadu guessing regarding his political plans. The eldest son of former DMK chief and Tamil Nadu Prime Minister M Karunanidhi, MK Alagiri, has also joined the suspense train, with his followers wondering about his return to politics after several years.
Alagiri, who was a union minister in the second UPA government, met on Thursday with his mother, Dayalu Ammal, who is under treatment at the family residence in Gopalapuram.
Later, speaking to reporters, Alagiri said that he will consult his supporters on January 3 and decide on the launch of a new match. “If my supporters want me to launch a new match, I will but I will not support DMK. Nor has DMK invited me to join the party, “he said.
When asked about his encounter with actor Rajinikanth, Alagiri said that he learned from the media that the actor was returning from the filming of ‘Annathee’. “Once I get back from Hyderabad, I’ll meet him,” Alagiri said.
Earlier, reports said that Alagiri, whose confrontation with his younger brother MK Stalin led to his expulsion from the party that his father led for more than half a century, was being aggressively courted by the Bharatiya Janata Party, which seeks to make inroads into Tamil. Nadu in the next elections to the Assembly.
Alagiri, before his expulsion from the DMK, was the southern strongman of the party. During its heyday, his influence was such that his will on all matters greatly influenced party decisions, from electoral alliances to candidates to campaign planning. According to various sources within the party, Alagiri’s disappointment was mainly due to the gradual rise of his younger brother and the favor he seemed to enjoy with his father, former DMK president M Karunanidhi.
Alagiri was expelled from the match even when Karunanidhi had all the power in the DMK. In March 2014, Alagiri, who was then the party’s southern organizing secretary, was fired. He had accused the party’s high command of acting unilaterally. Karunandhi had addressed the press after a confrontation at his residence with Alagiri, clearly stating that Alagiri has no place at the party.
After Karunanidhi’s death, Alagiri had tried to stoke tensions within the DMK, but the party supported MK Stalin, its then appointed leader.
(with contributions from Poornima Murali)
.
