The Madurai strongman has for long been resisting attempts by his father to crown younger brother Stalin as his successor. If the row seemed to have settled down these past few months, and the brothers even posed for the media as a friendly twosome, Mr Alagiri’s shocker through an interview in a recent issue of Junior Vikatan has jolted the DMK.
When a reporter asked Mr Karunanidhi for his reaction to son Alagiri’s latest missile, he shot back, “You go and ask him.”
In his interview, Mr Alagiri had said he would not accept anyone other than his father, party chief M. Karunanidhi, as his leader. His remarks drew sharp reactions in the party, with many expressing the view, albeit in hushed tones, that Mr Alagiri should not have raked up the issue at a time when the party was busy fighting the prestigious byelection in Pennagaram.
“Many party seniors are upset with the timing of this statement. Where is the need for him (Alagiri) to talk about the leadership issue now? After all, Kalaignar made Thalapathi (Stalin) the deputy chief minister last year and that only meant that the succession issue was settled once and for all. Why rake it up again now?” asked a DMK senior, requesting anonymity.
“This is the most inappropriate time to speak about the leadership issue, when we must focus energies on this Pennagaram byelection. And, besides, the media is not the forum for settling the internal issues of the party,” said another DMK leader, roughing it out campaigning in the scorching sun of Pennagaram.
While his elder brother made his hot statement and Mr Karunanidhi responded with bitterness and anger, Mr Stalin himself seemed unconcerned and carried on with his Pennagaram campaign.
Age Correspondent