Internal rivalry among the DMK’s local leaders is hampering the electioneering work for the coming Lok Sabha polls in Dharmapuri.
According to party cadre, former State Minister V Mullaivendan, who is the party’s South Dharmapuri unit in-charge and former MLA Inbasekaran, who is in command in North Dharmapuri are not seeing eye-to-eye. As a result the poll work has been hit.
“The real villain for the DMK in Dharmapuri is neither the AIADMK nor the PMK. Factionalism is ruining us,” an old time functionary alleged.
He claimed that caste politics has come to the forefront and posing as hurdles for the growth of the party, which he said was built on egalitarian principles. Evidence of caste-based discord ruining the party’s prospects was in play during the last Assembly elections when Mullaivendan was defeated from the Pappireddipatti constituency, he alleged.
Highlighting another dimension to the issue, a party functionary claimed that local party chieftains are not too happy with the sitting MP Thamaraiselvan, who has been re-nominated from the constituency.
“Thamaraiselvan is not known to indulge in politicking. When he was MP he refused to favour local leaders here while awarding tenders for undertaking developmental works. Therefore, they are against him,” he claimed.
Apparently, when the party gave Thamaraiselvan, a protege of DMK heir apparent M K Stalin, a ticket to contest again from the constituency, one of the local leaders had complained against his candidature to party chief M Karunanidhi. However, Stalin did not waver on fielding him.
There is a feeling that the DMK’s campaign is lacking in vigour in the constituency unlike that of the PMK and AIADMK. In fact, the PMK is going all out to ensure that its leader Ramadoss’ son Anbumani Ramadoss is elected from Dharmapuri.
However, denying any let up, Thamaraiselvan told Express, “Our party’s campaign is going on in full swing. We conducted meeting of party functionaries in different parts of the district in which our senior leaders participated. We will start door-to- door campaigning on Tuesday.”