Breaking his silence over the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam’s debacle in the recent Assembly elections, Union Minister and party strongman M.K. Alagiri on Sunday said the defeat is worrying him and regretted that the charge of family politics was aired more by partymen than the rivals.
“Unfortunately DMK party was being criticised more by our own partymen than Opposition leaders or workers for family politics,” he said in a candid admission that there was discontent among workers and that issues including 2G spectrum allocation and family domination led to its rout.
“The defeat is worrying me. It was only in Madurai that maximum number of people benefited by various welfare schemes of the DMK Government. Even then we got defeated... In fact I have helped even the opposition party members and leaders,” Mr. Alagiri said.
Speaking at a wedding function, Mr. Alagiri, elder son of DMK President M. Karunanidhi and the party’s south zone organising secretary, asked partymen not to display pictures of his family in posters or banner of any party function.
“If at all you want to carry the pictures, please have the pictures of our late leader (C N) Annadurai, or Kalaingar (Karunanidhi). If you have true intentions and heartfelt love for me, carry my picture. But please don’t carry the pictures of any other members of my family,” he said.
Mr. Alagiri said he would not attend any function if the posters welcoming him carried the pictures of his family members.
