Reporter’S Diary: DMK to nominate minority community member to RS?

The minority representatives were understood to have proposed a Christian member in the Congress party who had vainly bid for Tirunelveli Lok Sabha seat recently. The ‘delegation’, after Stalin clarified that the seats were only meant for his lieutenants, proposed senior advocate P Wilson for the RS seat.

Curiously, Stalin was understood to have responded to the parishioners with a smile, which prompted DMK insiders to wonder if Stalin had finalised the established lawyer who won the legal battle in Madras High Court against the ruling AIADMK to bury former DMK president M Karunanidhi on Marina. Only a week ago, the DMK had cold-shouldered the Congress which had approached the Dravidian major for a RS nomination for former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. 

A couple of Congress seniors had approached DMK parliamentary party leader T R Baalu in New Delhi to persuade the leadership to re-nominate the former PM to the upper house, only to be told a categorical ‘No’ by him. Stalin, who has already reserved a seat each for MDMK general secretary Vaiko and DMK labour wing leader Shanmugam, had given a pat on the back for Baalu for showing Congress its place.