Opinion Hands tied,DMK keeps at arm’s length

M K Stalin for one wants the clout of his elder brother M K Alagiri weakened. With Alagiri not inclined now to resign and return to state politics,installing one of his loyalists as a Cabinet minister would have suited Stalin as a “balancing” factor.

Already in trouble because of his son’s alleged involvement in the granite quarry scam,Alagiri on the other hand would prefer no change. A section of the DMK — particularly the old guard — too prefers status quo although not for the same reasons as Alagiri. They feel reclaiming the berths will not benefit the party much given the UPA’s crisis-ridden image.

This section interestingly believes that the corruption charges against DMK ministers played a major role in its decimation in the Assembly elections. Kanimozhi,who was once a ministerial hopeful,seems indifferent.

Given this backdrop,Karunanidhi may not have wanted to disturb his party’s complicated succession scenario by putting up names for Cabinet.

Instead,the party supremo would like to keep the public focus on the DMK’s ties with the Congress. By all insider accounts,Karunanidhi is not inclined to pull out of the UPA or in any way destabilise the government. Yet,he would calibrate his moves in a manner that he distances the DMK from bearing the burden of the UPA government’s deteriorating public profile — particularly as its own representatives have been at the centre of the Opposition’s corruption charges.

The stand against diesel price hike and FDI in retail signal this new approach.

Manoj C G is a Special Correspondent based in Delhi

manoj.cg@expressindia.com