Venting his anger against younger brother M K Stalin by declaring that his supporters will never allow the DMK President to be chief minister, expelled party leader M K Alagiri on Sunday gave mixed signals about launching a political party ahead of the 2021 Assembly elections due in April-May.
Meeting his supporters at a jam-packed hall in his erstwhile stronghold of Madurai, 465 km from here, Alagiri devoted an almost entire part of his over 30-minute speech to bash Stalin and claimed it was he who gave the nod to his late father M Karunanidhi for appointing his younger brother as the DMK Treasurer in 2008 and deputy chief minister the following year.
Alagiri, who was expelled from the DMK in 2014 by Karunanidhi, has been appealing to the party to take him back, while making it clear that he will accept Stalin's leadership. Alagiri's Sunday meeting was aimed at reminding the leadership about his request to be taken back into the DMK, and a veiled threat that he may spell trouble if he continues to be ignored.
In his trademark style, Alagiri blew hot and cold on Sunday – at one point he turned emotional and sought to know the reason for his expulsion and at another point he mocked Stalin, saying he would remain a “future chief minister” forever as DMK's posters describe him.
Seeking to know from Stalin on what was his mistake or why he was expelled from DMK, Alagiri said, “His supporters describe him as future chief ministers in posters. You will remain the same (future CM in posters). You cannot become (CM). My supporters will never let you become the chief minister.”
However, at the end of his speech during which he accused Stalin of “betraying him” and took pot-shots at his supporters, Alagiri gave mixed signals about his future course of action.
“Supporters expressed their opinion. Some said I should launch a party. I will take a decision. You should accept whatever decision I take. I will take a good decision. You should abide by me even if it is a bad decision. I will take the decision, but I cannot give a time frame. It (decision) may get delayed as well,” Alagiri, who was expelled from DMK in 2014 by Karunanidhi, said.
Alagiri claimed he was “never after power” and said he was responsible for many people becoming ministers. “But none of them are grateful,” he said, adding that the DMK government may have collapsed even if he had not ensured the victory of the party in Thirumangalam by-elections as Congress would have left the alliance.