Alagiri visits Karunanidhi, downplays rift within DMK

Chennai: Former Union minister and DMK leader MK Alagiri met his father and party chief M Karunanidhi this morning for the first time after five of his loyalists were suspended from the party in Madurai for putting up controversial posters.

Mr Alagiri downplayed the crisis, saying "The party took action against its workers."
"My father enquired about me and my grandchildren in the US.  I told him they were doing well. That's all," he said.

Trouble began last week when the DMK disbanded its unit in Madurai, Mr Alagiri's bastion. While many Alagiri loyalists lost their position, the party appointed an interim team with loyalists of his elder brother MK Stalin.

Later, the DMK chief also warned his son of expulsion for his views opposing any ties with actor-turned-politician Vijayakanth's DMDK.

Analysts say the DMK, after snapping ties with the Congress, is keen to forge an alliance with the DMDK for Lok Sabha polls; Mr Alagiri is seen to be scuttling the realignment.
GC Shekar of The Telegraph says, "Mr Karunanidhi is desperate to rope in DMDK since he only has smaller parties now and he does not want any one torpedoing it."

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Though Mr Karunanidhi groomed his younger son, MK Stalin, to be his political heir, his elder son MK Alagirj, despite being a late entrant to politics, has said he would contest party elections after his father to become DMK president. The present crisis, many say, is a new high on the sibling rivalry with MK Stalin calling the shots in the party.

DMK spokesperson TKS Elangovan denies any rift within the party. "There is no sibling rivalry. This is a disciplinary action for defying the party leader," he said.

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