A close watcher of Tamil Nadu politics feels Alagiri will now demand his due.
Will
a bitter succession war erupt in the DMK
again, or will M K Stalin, whom M Karunanidhi anointed his successor
in his lifetime, continue to hold sway over the party?
This
is the question the DMK workers are asking themselves as they prepare
for life in the party after the death of their "Thalaivar"
(leader) who held a vice-like grip over the organisation for
half-a-century as its chief.
M
K Alagiri and M
K Stalin, the two sons of the DMK doyen, have been at loggerheads
for years now before the former was expelled from the party in 2014,
after a stint as a union minister in the UPA government.
Before
his expulsion at the height of his succession battle with the younger
sibling, Alagiri, known for his mercurial temper, had famously
questioned if the DMK was a "mutt" where the pontiff could
anoint his successor, an apparent reference to their father.
Alagiri,
in political exile since his expulsion and living in faraway Madurai,
was with the family during Karunanidhi's last days as he battled for
life in a city hospital, and a senior DMK leader said there was no
chance of the party getting caught in a succession battle again.
"Every
issue has been settled," he told PTI, speaking on condition of
anonymity.
He
said even as the DMK's first family presented a picture of unity
during the hospitalisation of Karunanidhi from July 28 till his death
on August 7, they, including the 'warring' brothers, held "open
talks".
"That
controversy has come to an end. Every issue has been settled as all
family members regularly spoke to each other during this period,"
he said.
Asked
if Stalin will formally take over the reins of the party now without
a hurdle, he replied in the affirmative, insisting due steps will be
taken for his ascension to the top party post soon.
However,
political observer and veteran journalist Shyam Shanmugaam does not
share the DMK functionary's view.
"According
to me, it (succession battle) will start immediately. The fight
between brothers will never end. However, Stalin should do inclusive
politics," he said.
"That
(succession row) will happen. The ruling BJP's agenda is to weaken
the regional parties. Now they will try to weaken the DMK as
Karunanidhi has gone and before him the late J Jayalalithaa. They
were the binding force in DMK and AIADMK," says Shanmugaam.
A
close watcher of Tamil Nadu politics, he feels Alagiri will now
demand his due.
