Former Union Minister M.K. Alagiri on Saturday met his father and DMK president M.Karunanidhi, for the first time after Mr.Karunanidhi warned him for violating party discipline. Mr.Alagiri had spoken against DMDK leader Vijayakant at a time when the DMK was desperately trying to cobble together a combination to fight the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
Later on Saturday, Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi leader Thol.Tirumavalavan, a staunch ally of the DMK, met Mr.Vijayakant, in a bid to convince the DMDK to join the DMK alliance.
Though Mr.Alagiri visited Mr.Karunanidhi’s Gopalapuram residence on January 8, soon after Mr.Karunanidhi warned him, the two did not meet. “That day, neither the son went up [to the first floor where Mr.Karunanidhi normally works out of] not did the father ask for him,” one source with knowledge of the events said.
Saturday’s meeting appeared to be a climb down on the part of Mr. Alagiri.
In fact, he went even further and disowned the five DMK men who were suspended.
He told presspersons that the five men, suspended from the party for violating party discipline, were not his loyalists.
In fact, the DMK leadership disbanded the Madurai unit of the party, and placed loyalists of party treasurer M.K. Stalin’s loyalists at the helm of the unit.
Mr. Alagiri, who met Mr. Karunanidhi with his daughter Kayalvizhi, who also nurses political ambitions, said his father made general inquiries about him and his children.
