Stalin will never become CM, I will ensure that: Alagiri

Stalin will never become CM, I will ensure that: Alagiri

Padmini.Sivarajah@timesgroup.com

Madurai:  04.01.2021

Amidst slogans hailing him ‘anjaa nenjam (brave heart)’, M K Alagiri on Sunday declared war against his estranged brother and DMK chief M K Stalin, saying: “Stalin can never become the chief minister. My supporters and I will ensure it.”

The former Union minister and elder son of M Karunanidhi, who convened a meeting to discuss his future course of action ahead of the assembly election, said he would announce his next move soon and that his supporters should accept his decision. “To this day, I do not know what I did wrong to be dismissed from the DMK. Stalin betrayed me,” said Alagiri.

In what clearly appeared to be a show of strength, Alagiri arrived in a campaign vehicle to a marriage hall in Madurai as supporters from the city and southern districts gathered in large numbers. The gathering of Alagiri supporters that included DMK workers brought traffic to a standstill on the inner ring road in Madurai. People came in hundreds of vehicles, and the marriage hall near Pandikoil, one of the biggest in Madurai, burst at the seams with cadres standing outside to watch the proceedings on a giant screen.

Accusing Stalin of being jealous of his growth, Alagiri said, “I don’t know why I was betrayed.”

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Alagiri said, “I only wanted to be a cadre working for the party and had never hankered after party posts. We turned Madurai, which was MGR’s fortress, into a DMK’s fortress.”

“There are always posters calling you (Stalin) future CM but that’s not going to happen. My followers will never let you become future CM,” Alagiri said.

Stalin was being compared with Karunanidhi, said Alagiri. “A DMK district secretary said Stalin had done even better than Kalaignar (Karunanidhi). I feel ashamed to hear this. How can they compare Stalin with Kalaignar?” he asked.

Alagiri said he had never wanted to work for the Thirumangalam byelection as he had been upset with his family. “But Stalin, Dayanidhi Maran and other DMK leaders met me and urged him to take up the responsibility. Kalaiganar kept calling me every hour and I took up the responsibility and helped the party win the byelection by a margin of 40,000 votes as I had predicted,” he said.

Alagiri said he had been DMK’s “saviour” on several occasions even while Stalin used him to get party posts. He said senior DMK leaders had come to his house to recommend Stalin for the party treasurer’s post.

“Another day, when Stalin and his wife visited my house during the Thirumangalam election, my wife and I assured him he would be the leader of the DMK after Kalaignar,” said Alagiri. Whenever he was given a posting, Stalin sought higher postings, he said.

“I was silent for seven years. My supporters want me to float a party. I will take a decision. But whatever decision I take, I want you to accept it,” he said. His supporters, including P M Mannan, M L Raj and P Chinnan, while addressing the gathering, said Alagiri should be re-inducted into the party.

M K Alagiri said he was silent for seven years, but now his supporters want him to float a party. He will take a decision soon