In DMK ‘ drama’, Stalin resigns, later withdraws
Chennai: Suffering one of
its worst ever poll drubbings, the DMK on Sunday enacted a well- orchestrated drama, with party treasurer
M. K. Stalin submitting his resignation by noon and his father, party president M.
Karunanidhi, refusing to accept it by evening, both to offset the harsh criticism they were facing for failing to withstand the AIADMK onslaught in the elections.
Suffering one of its worst ever poll drubbings, the DMK’s first family on Sunday enacted a wellorchestrated drama, with party treasurer M. K. Stalin submitting his resignation by noon and his father, party president M. Karunanidhi, refusing to accept it by evening, both to offset the harsh criticism they were facing for failing to withstand the “Amma” tornado in the 16th Lok Sabha polls.
The curtains went up when Mr Stalin entered his father’s Gopalapuram residence around noon. Shortly thereafter, information began to spill out about the resignation. Playing his part to perfection in the well- rehearsed drama was party senior Durai Murugan who admitted that Mr Stalin had submitted his resignation to Mr Karunanidhi. The sharpwitted Vellore strongman emphasised that Mr Karunanidhi had refused to accept the resignation.
Interestingly, the Alagiris were the first to “expose” the resignation drama. “Is this drama to take full control over DMK,” read a tweet by Durai Dayanidhi, son of M. K. Alagiri.
Party district secretary J. Anbazhagan set the stage for Mr Karunanidhi.
He silently mobilised a handful of sidekicks at Anna Arivalayam and Gopalapuram to satiate, or rather, distract curious mediapersons and critics. The unsatisfying denouement of the resignation drama was out by dusk when Mr Karunanidhi called the resignation a “lie” and added that Stalin offered to resign owning moral responsibility. The five- time chief minister tried to make up for the goof- up by announcing the convention of a high- level party executive committee to assess their miserable showing in the polls.