Infighting in the DMK and AIADMK over the choice of candidates for the Assembly election in some constituencies was out in the open for the third day on Friday, with cadres clashing in a couple of places and targeting senior leaders.
A group of DMK cadres from Tirunelveli district assembled outside party president M Karunanidhi’s Gopalapuram residence and raised slogans demanding that the Palayamkottai candidate Moideen Khan be replaced.
In Vellore district, a section of cadres from Jolarpet and Natrampalli staged a protest demanding the replacement of Kavitha Dhandapani, the party’s Jolarpet constituency candidate. She had apparently joined the party only last year.
One protester doused himself with kerosene threatening to immolation. Already there has been open opposition to the Anaicut constituency candidate.
Some DMK cadres protested in Palavakkam in Chennai accusing Vellore strongman Duraimurugan of influencing the choice of candidates.
In Salem, members of two rival groups clashed over the issue of raising slogans when the candidates garlanded the statue of party founder late C N Annadurai. When R. Rajendran, district secretary and nominee for the Salem North constituency, C. Panneerselvam of Salem West, M. Gunasekaran of Salem South and S. Ammasi of Omalur constituency, launched their campaign, cadres raised slogans hailing party leaders M. Karunanidhi and M K Stalin. However, supporters of ‘Veerapandi’ A. Rajendran, secretary of the Salem East district unit of the party, questioned them for not raising slogans hailing late ‘Veerapandi’ S. Arumugam, a party strongman and former Minister.
This led to heated argument between members of the rival groups, who also attempted to attack and push down each other prompting the police to intervene. Mr Rajendran and other leaders also pacified the agitated cadres.
In Pudukottai, opposition continued to fielding G, Satish as the DMK candidate in Alangudi. Supporters of Siva.V. Meyyanathan, party Aranthangi union chairman, took out a procession carrying black flags at Keeramangalam village after making a symbolic representation to Nakeerar, the Tamil poet of the Sangam era), at a local Shiva temple in the village. They demanded that Mr. Meyyanathan be fielded in the constituency. Another group of cadres protested at Kollidam seeking to withdraw S Killai Ravindran, who hailed from Cuddalore district, from the Sirkali constituency.
Meanwhile, in Erode, two groups of AIADMK cadres clashed during a discussion at Karunkalpalayam on formation of booth committee for the Assembly elections.
The fracas erupted when party workers Susheela and her brother Somasundaram, both supporters of City Corporation Third Zone chairman Manoharan, opposed a prominent role for Thangavel, confidante of the party candidate for Erode East constituency Thennarasu, a former MLA. ( With bureau inputs from Vellore, Tiruchi, Salem and Erode )
