Alagiri skips meet, DMK against outside support to UPA

The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), in its executive meet on Monday held to discuss the next course of action nearly a week after leaving the UPA government over the Sri Lankan Tamils issue, decided not to extend outside support to the UPA.

DMK leader Tiruchi Shiva said, "We have withdrawn support to the UPA and have decided not to offer even outside support to the UPA. The meeting was held to discuss how to fight for the Sri Lankan Tamils."

But ahead of the meeting, there was drama within DMK chief Karunanidhi's family. The DMK chief's son MK Alagiri skipped the meeting and left for Madurai. While sources say Alagiri is upset with younger brother MK Stalin, Karunanidhi's political heir, for reportedly pushing their father to withdraw support to the UPA, party leader Tiruchi Shiva played it down saying he skipped the meeting because he may be unwell.

When the CBI had raided Stalin's house last Thursday, Alagiri sought to play it down. Karunanidhi and other senior DMK leaders, meanwhile, are miffed with Alagiri for calling on Congress leaders. Alagiri had reportedly met Finance Minister P Chidambaram after submitting his resignation to the Prime Minister.

Sibling rivalry is not new in DMK with Alagiri and his brother Stalin vying for the coveted "political heir apparent" throne of Karunanidhi. Recently, the DMK chief had indicated that Stalin would be his successor, drawing flak from Alagiri who said that DMK is not a "mutt" where a senior pontiff can anoint his successor.

Karunandihi's son Stalin has been at the forefront in getting the DMK to withdraw support and with the CBI raiding his house in a DRI case, it was quite unlikely that the party will look for a possible truce with the Centre.

The DMK meet came days after India voted against Sri Lanka at the UNHRC in Geneva. India did not move any amendments to the US-backed resolution against Sri Lanka even as DMK had demanded inclusion of the word 'genocide' in the draft.

The DMK ministers had resigned after DMK withdrew support to the UPA government over the Sri Lankan Tamils issue. MK Alagiri, SS Palanimanickam, S Gandhiselvan, S Jagathrakshakan and D Nepoleon had submitted their resignations to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Wednesday.