DMK treasurer M.K. Stalin on Sunday resigned his party post for the party’s debacle in the Lok Sabha polls only to withdraw it later on the advice of his father and party chief M. Karunanidhi.
As the news of Mr. Stalin's resignation spread, senior leaders and party cadres rushed to his Teynampet residence here. His supporters raised slogans saying that the “corrupt faction” in the party was responsible for the poll defeat and not Mr. Stalin. “We will soon root out them. We need you to stay,” the cadres shouted.
Party deputy general secretary Duraimurugan, told reporters that “Mr. Stalin had conveyed his decision to resign and our leader M. Karunanidhi advised him that it was not the appropriate time for him to do this.”
“He had told Mr. Stalin that the move was not necessary either. You [Stalin] have a lot of work to do. The DMK will not be destroyed by just one poll defeat. It has faced many such defeats,” ” Mr. Duraimurugan quoted Mr. Karunanidhi as having told Mr. Stalin.
Later, Mr. Karunanidhi came down heavily on media, particularly The Hindu , accusing them of creating problems for his family. “You are responsible for the defeat,” he first said. “The reduction in vote share led to defeat,” he added, to blunt his initial remark.
Mr. Karunanidhi said the party’s high-level committee would soon meet to take stock of the situation arising out of the electoral debacle. The DMK leader was highly critical of his estranged son and expelled party leader M.K. Alagiri, saying that both the DMK and he personally had “forgotten him long ago.”
