Chennai:
MK Alagiri, the older son of DMK chief M Karunanidhi, has skipped a crucial meeting of the party being held in Chennai this morning to frame political strategy after it pulled out of the UPA government last week. Mr Alagiri, say sources, is still sulking about not being consulted on the decision to withdraw support, a move reportedly scripted by his younger brother and political rival MK Stalin.
Mr Alagiri left for his constituency Madurai this morning, just ahead of the emergency meeting of top leaders, where the party will castigate the Centre for not taking a strong enough stand against Sri Lanka over its alleged war crimes at a UN meet and is expected to pass a resolution against it.
"Am I the only one skipping the DMK executive meet? Do all invitees attend the meet?" he later said.
Last week, Mr Alagiri, who was a minister at the Centre, handed his resignation letter to the PM separately; four other DMK ministers resigned together the same day. Party sources said this was his way of protesting against the fact that he had not been consulted about the DMK's decision to quit the UPA government. Sources close to him said he heard about it on television channels first.
Mr Karunanidhi is 88 years old and for some years now, there has been much speculation on which of his two sons will succeed him as party chief. In recent months, the DMK chief has indicated that it is Mr Stalin who is his political heir, much the chagrin of Mr Alagiri, who has said he will fight it out. He has missed the last two such party meetings too.
At today's meeting in Chennai, sources said, the DMK will deliberate on its future course of action and the strategy it will adopt against the Congress. The meet will also justify the withdrawal of the party's support to the Centre. The DMK, with its 18 MPs, was the Congress' largest ally in the UPA after the Trinamool Congress had quit the government last year.
The regional party had depended heavily on its partnership with the Congress at the Centre after it fared poorly in the Tamil Nadu elections last year, which saw Mr Karunanidhi's bete noir J Jayalalithaa seize power in the state. But the relationship, that spiralled downwards after the arrest of DMK leaders A Raja and Kanimozhi in the 2G case, had been strained for many months now. The DMK finally withdrew support last week on the Lanka issue.
Mr Alagiri left for his constituency Madurai this morning, just ahead of the emergency meeting of top leaders, where the party will castigate the Centre for not taking a strong enough stand against Sri Lanka over its alleged war crimes at a UN meet and is expected to pass a resolution against it.
"Am I the only one skipping the DMK executive meet? Do all invitees attend the meet?" he later said.
Last week, Mr Alagiri, who was a minister at the Centre, handed his resignation letter to the PM separately; four other DMK ministers resigned together the same day. Party sources said this was his way of protesting against the fact that he had not been consulted about the DMK's decision to quit the UPA government. Sources close to him said he heard about it on television channels first.
Mr Karunanidhi is 88 years old and for some years now, there has been much speculation on which of his two sons will succeed him as party chief. In recent months, the DMK chief has indicated that it is Mr Stalin who is his political heir, much the chagrin of Mr Alagiri, who has said he will fight it out. He has missed the last two such party meetings too.
At today's meeting in Chennai, sources said, the DMK will deliberate on its future course of action and the strategy it will adopt against the Congress. The meet will also justify the withdrawal of the party's support to the Centre. The DMK, with its 18 MPs, was the Congress' largest ally in the UPA after the Trinamool Congress had quit the government last year.
The regional party had depended heavily on its partnership with the Congress at the Centre after it fared poorly in the Tamil Nadu elections last year, which saw Mr Karunanidhi's bete noir J Jayalalithaa seize power in the state. But the relationship, that spiralled downwards after the arrest of DMK leaders A Raja and Kanimozhi in the 2G case, had been strained for many months now. The DMK finally withdrew support last week on the Lanka issue.
