Tamil Nadu Sports Development and Youth Welfare Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin called on M.K. Alagiri, at the latter’s residence in Satya Sai Nagar here on Monday night.
The Minister, who arrived from Chennai, was accorded a rousing reception at the airport by Commercial Taxes Minister P. Moorthy and Finance Minister P.T.R. Palanivel Thiaga Rajan and other party functionaries including G. Thalapathi among others.
Mr. Udhayanidhi, who checked-in at a hotel in the city, later drove down to Mr. Alagiri’s residence, accompanied by his cabinet colleague Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi.
Addressing the Media, Mr Alagiri who looked cheerful said, ”My brother’s son is coming to meet me after he became the Minister....”
While supporters of Mr. Alagiri maintained that it was just a courtesy call, the DMK office-bearers were tight-lipped about the meeting. One office-bearer, requesting anonymity, said, ”Udayanidhi has great regard for his Periyappa (uncle) Mr. Alagiri and has gone there to seek his blessings on becoming the Minister.”
The former Union Minister Mr. Alagiri, was expelled from the DMK for his anti-party activities in 2014, following which he has remained in isolation. Except for some of his staunch followers like P.M. Mannan, M.L. Raj and others, the DMK party leaders stayed away from him.
The party president and Chief Minister M.K. Stalin, who had visited Madurai many times after expelling his elder brother, had stayed away from meeting Mr. Alagiri at his residence.