Published 10:04 IST, December 27th 2020
AIADMK sure Alagiri will hurt Stalin, DMK in Tamil Nadu polls; cool on BJP's CM-face delay
As speculations are rife that Karunanidhi's son MK Alagiri will launch his own party, Tamil Nadu minister said that it will damage DMK's prospects in the polls
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As speculations are rife that ex-DMK leader and Karunanidhi's son MK Alagiri will launch his own party ahead of the Tamil Nadu assembly elections, AIADMK leader Sellur K Raju has said that it will damage DMK's prospects in the upcoming polls. Raju, who is also a minister in Edappadi Palaniswamy's cabinet, opined that Alagiri has all the features of his father and even as MK Stalin is eyeing the CM seat, his campaign may be damaged by Alagiri's entry. He also added that DMK's claim that with the exit of Alagiri they are 'rowdy-free' is misplaced as all those who earlier worked for Alagiri are now working under the leadership of DMK president MK Stalin.
Speaking to reporters after inaugurating Amma Mini Clinics at Palanganatham and Keerathurai in Madurai city, Sellur K Raju said, "If the expelled DMK leader and former Union Minister MK Alagiri launches a political party, it will certainly affect DMK. Alagiri does not change his ideology. He has all the qualities of his father M Karunanidhi and he can handle the Opposition in the same way like his father did. DMK is ignoring him now. But, if he launches a party, it will certainly damage their campaign."
Sellur K Raju also spoke about the delay in the formal announcement of incumbent EPS as CM candidate by ally BJP for the upcoming polls, “As a national party, they might have certain policies, they have a different way of functioning, only the central leadership can make such announcements, no local leaders will speak about it.”
Decision on party after Jan 3 meeting: Alagiri
Meanwhile, Alagiri on Thursday met his mother Dayalu Ammal in Gopalapuram, Chennai. Speaking to reporters after his meet, Alagiri maintained that he will consult his supporters before launching a party and that he would meet them on January 3. Alagiri also said that he will meet Superstar Rajinikanth, thus sparking off speculations on a potential future alliance, at a time when he has clarified that he would never ally with DMK.
Alagiri had earlier categorically denied all the rumours. However, sources said that Alagiri might name his new party as Kalaignar Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (KDMD). He will also support BJP as per sources. Earlier, Alagiri loyalist KP Ramalingam joined BJP and said that he will try to bring Alagiri into the party.
MK Alagiri was expelled from DMK by his father Karunanidhi in 2014 and since then he has not been able to return. The internal fights of the Karunanidhi family are an open secret and just one week after Karunanidhi's death in 2018, Alagiri had questioned the leadership of Stalin, despite his father choosing the latter as his political heir. However, Alagiri has been largely absent from the political landscape for the last six years.
2021 Tamil Nadu polls
Two warring factions in AIADMK - of Deputy CM O Pannerselvam (OPS) and CM E Palaniswamy (EPS) - reconciled after the party named incumbent E Palaniswamy as its CM candidate and O Panneerselvam as the chief of the 11-member steering committee. While it is almost final that AIADMK and BJP will contest together and the former has also made the announcement, the saffron party is yet to make the formal announcement. Meanwhile, BJP is also in talks with superstar Rajinikanth, who has often praised PM Modi and has said that he will launch his party in 2021 and divulge information about the same on December 31. The 234 seats in Tamil Nadu assembly will be going to polls in May next year.
10:04 IST, December 27th 2020