CHENNAI: Nine M K Alagiri supporters, who were expelled from DMK in 2014 along with the former Union minister, have now written a letter to chief minister and party president M K Stalin, seeking his pardon and requesting him to take them back into the party.
Former DMK leader M Karunanidhi expelled Alagiri and his supporters even as the party was plagued by succession battles with his older son openly airing his discontent and resentment against Stalin. Now, with Alagiri distancing himself from the party, nine of his 15 supporters have written to Stalin, seeking pardon and urging him to take them back into the DMK fold.
P Gopinathan, a former zonal chairman of Madurai Corporation and husband of Madurai’s first female mayor Thenmozhi, said he had worked actively for DMK for nearly 40 years. “We have always been with DMK and breathed and lived the party,” he said.
They said they cited their hard work under Alagiri for DMK and its victories in many elections. “We assured the party high command that we will never act against the interest of the party and sought pardon,” they said in the letter.
The group of nine handed over the letter to Madurai urban district secretary K Thalapathy, who told TOI that he handed over the letter to DMK organising secretary R S Bharathi. So far, no decision has been taken on re-admitting them into DMK, said Bharathi. “Thalaivar (Stalin) will take a call after he receives the letter,” said Bharathi.
Former Madurai north zone chairman K Esakkimuthu, 78, said he was the first signatory in the letter, and that his only wish was to die a DMK man. “When Udhayanidhi Stalin came to get Alagiri’s blessings after he was made minister, Alagiri told him that I (Esakkimuthu) was expelled from the party whenever Alagiri was expelled and told him to take me back into the party even if they did not take him (Alagiri) back,” he said.
Alagiri made his official entry into active politics by spearheading the DMK’s campaign for the Thirumangalam bypoll in Madurai district in 2009, when the DMK candidate won by around 40,000-vote margin. Alagiri was rewarded with a post of DMK south zone organising secretary after which he won the Madurai parliamentary constituency in 2009 Lok Sabha polls and was inducted into the Union cabinet of the UPA govt as minister for chemicals and fertilizer.
In 2014, the feud between the two brothers got intense and Karunanidhi expelled Alagiri and 15 supporters, including former deputy mayor P M Mannan, from DMK.
