MADURAI: Buoyed by a complete rout of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) in the Lok Sabha poll in Tamil Nadu, expelled DMK leader and estranged sibling M K Alagiri demanded the resignation of M K Stalin owning the responsibility for the party’s decimation, here on Friday. However, Alagiri refused to comment on his next course of action.
He said that isolating DMK chief M Karunanidhi from party affairs and the autocratic behaviour of Stalin were the reasons that the party failed to deliver in the poll. “Stalin should own responsibility for the defeat and resign from the party post,” Alagiri told Express.
Alagiri, who predicted the defeat immediately after the DMK announced its candidates, was eagerly watching election results on TV along with his supporters outside his house on Friday morning. He also verified details with his supporters in each constituency over phone.
Alagiri also congratulated BJP prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi for his tremendous victory in the election.
Regarding the defeat of the DMK, he said, “You all know I had predicted this result long ago. The failure was mainly because the party was not under the control of DMK chief M Karunanidhi. A group which controls the party prevented Kalaingar from having a say in the candidate selection,” he said. “I was expelled from the party because I had highlighted its undemocratic functioning and questioned the allocation of party tickets to the people who paid more money and to many former AIADMK functionaries. The entire selection process was under the control of Stalin,” Alagiri added.
Meanwhile, Alagiri’s son Durai Dayanidhi also tweeted: “As far as I know this is the most embarrassing election the DMK has ever faced. I’m pained at the current party situation.” Durai also sat along with his father to watch the election results in the morning.
All nine DMK candidates in the southern districts of the State have lost the election. Similarly, all the candidates whom Alagiri had targeted in other parts of the State also lost the election. Alagiri’s close aides, who gathered at his house, said that the DMK high command should now realise its mistake and revamp the party.