MADURAI: The claim, made on Monday by M K Alagiri, an erstwhile functionary of the DMK and elder brother of M K Stalin, that the DMK cadre are all with him, seems to have no rational basis as the party’s constitution is very clear that it will be the general council which will decide who controls the party. And, unfavourably for him, the general council is now filled with Stalin’s supporters, according to party insiders.
A party district secretary recalled how even Vaiko, who enjoyed massive support from the party members, could not make great impact. “When Vaiko left the party in 1993, he had the support of 45 per cent of the general council members. He took with him nine district secretaries. Even with such a huge support from within the party, he could not cause a vertical split in the party. All he could do was to float a new party,” he said on condition of anonymity.
On the powers of the general council, the party constitution goes as follows: “The general council alone shall have the power to make any addition or amendment or deletion to the principles, policies, rules and regulations of the Kazhagam. Such additions or amendments or deletions shall be passed only when two-thirds of the general council members are present and a majority vote in favour.”
Currently, the general council has as many as 1,608 members. If Alagiri has to win over the party to his side, he needs to muster support of at least around 800 members, which looks almost impossible. Alagiri’s outbursts appear to have been triggered by Stalin’s refusal to give any space, he said.
Political commentator Raveenthran Duraisamy says that it is a preemptive move by Stalin. “Karunanidhi did a mistake when he shared his 1971 electoral success with MGR. Later, MGR became a competitor. Hence, Stalin does not want to share the space at the beginning itself. He may think Alagiri will cause much bigger damage if he reenters DMK,” he told Express.
Condolence meetings for Karunanidhi
Chennai: The DMK is planning to conduct condolence meetings for its late president Karunanidhi. According to a statement from the party, the meetings will be held at Tiruchy on August 17, Madurai on 19 and in Coimbatore, Tirunelveli and Chennai on August 25, 26 and 30 respectively.