Chief minister M. Karunanidhi is unable to breathe easy after sorting out the misgivings with the Congress and getting reassurance from Prime Minister Manmohan Singh that the alliance “is as strong as ever” as his son and Union minister M.K. Alagiri has thrown a fresh challenge at him, party sources said.
They said the sulking son had threatened to quit as the south zone organising secretary of the party unless Mr Karunanidhi suspends daughter Kanimozhi, MP, former Union minister A. Raja and state IT minister Poongothai Aladi Aruna. Mr Alagiri is understood to have argued in a letter to his father that Mr Raja’s continuance in the party would hurt the DMK interests in the coming state election in view of the spectrum scam.
DMK sources said Mr Alagiri was upset with Ms Kanimozhi and her close friend Poongothai after the release of the Niira Radia tapes wherein the latter was heard speaking to the corporate lobbyist against his (Alagiri) induction in the Manmohan Cabinet.
Pressing for action against the three, Mr Alagiri chose to skip the protocol of attending the airport reception for Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at the Chennai airport on Sunday night though he was very much in the state.
Also, he stayed away from a crucial meeting of DMK seniors at the party headquarters in Chennai on Tuesday despite being in the city. “It’s a simple matter and thalaivar will settle it amicably. Not a word was spoken about Alagiri at the high-level meeting this morning. Also, this is not the first time that Alagiri is behaving like this,” said a senior state minister, requesting anonymity. Reports from Madurai said that Mr Alagiri may not turn up at a state function being conducted by his brother and deputy chief minister M.K. Stalin at nearby Usilampatti on Wednesday for inaugurating a samathuvapuram (community village) as yet another demonstration of his anger. With elections fast approaching, this latest “tantrum” by the southern satrap could upset the DMK leadership and confuse the cadres. There is thinking among the upper echelons of the party that he is “bullying” his father to get more seats in the elections for his followers.