A quieter Alagiri returns where he once reigned

A reluctant stint of DMKs one-time strongman in Delhi will be remembered only for absence of activity.

After a reluctant stint in Delhi that will be remembered only for the absence of activity,the DMKs one-time strongman of the southern districts,M K Alagiri,is returning to a different river. He is no longer who he was,nor is Madurai what is was.

Alagiris reign in Madurai began when the DMK won the assembly polls in 2006. But his rise within the DMK started about two years later,after the party realised his contribution in winning a series of bypolls in the region and then one general election. But in the assembly election of 2011,all 10 seats in the district went to AIADMK and allies. From then on,he has been so low-key while at home in Madurai that local rivals term him an absentee landlord.

Even when he was a Union minister,Alagiri stayed away from Madurai as far as it was possible after losing power in the state. Now that he is no longer a minister,Alagiri is unlikely to come here anytime soon, said an AIADMK MLA from Madurai.

Even more significant is the spectacular loss of clout within the party since that election.

As Alagiri and his aides took considerable share of the blame for the loss,his younger brother M K Stalin made serious inroads into the southern districts where the party was functioning without coordination.

A few of the leaders of the Alagiri faction switched camps due to disgruntlement about his top aide,N Suresh Babu or Pottu Suresh. Sureshs rule ended when he was murdered in January,allegedly by an upset aide,Attack Pandi. Wanted by the police,Pandi is now on the run.

In the last few months,Jayas police have stepped up pressure on Alagiri,obtaining a non-bailable warrant against his only son,Durai Dhayanidhi,in connection with a mining scam. Durais film company office was raided and he went on the run before finally getting anticipatory bail. The family was accused of building an IT park by encroaching on a portion of public land and an agricultural canal.

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By then,Stalin had exerted his powers as the treasurer the third highest position in the party over local leaders and ensured the cadre shifted to his camp. Among such prominent members was Madurai urban secretary G Thalapathy,a former Alagiri camp insider. Dissidents were issued notices by the leadership in Chennai through the district offices.

Meanwhile,Stalin also persuaded father M Karunanidhi to pass on the party leadership to him. Karunanidhi stopped short of that,instead promoting Stalin from heir-apparent to heir-imminent,which still gave Stalin greater power within the DMK. Alagiri did protest,but feebly.

The only way he can overcome the crises is by fighting it out politically. But he is not a good politician, added the MLA from Madurai.

But for his staunch supporters,Alagiri moving closer home is a relief after being on the defensive for long. In elections,we will still be a deciding factor in bringing in all the party votes in the south. There should be reconciliation if the DMK is to put up a good fight in the crucial general elections next year, said an a loyalist from Madurai.

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The cabinet minister for chemicals and fertilisers was the last DMK MP to tender his resignation on Wednesday after the party announced the pullout from the UPA.