DMK men irked by Senthil Balaji’s rise

A few office-bearers in the district party unit, including local heavyweight KC Palanisamy were learnt to have started complaining about the threat Balaji poses to regional satrap KN Nehru, who was instrumental in him defecting from TTV Dhinakaran-led AMMK, the breakaway faction of the AIADMK.

The local functionaries have confided to Nehru that the newcomer could eat in to their space in the district and slowly muscle them out, as he did in the AIADMK through his laudable organisational skills and spending capacity.

It was not uncommon to hear through grapevine that the functionaries who felt threatened by Balaji’s arrival have proposed to depute the young party in-charge to the national capital and restrict his area of operation or rather safeguard their space in the district.

If sources in the DMK are to be believed, the contenders have advised Nehru to persuade the leadership to field Balaji against AIADMK heavy weight and incumbent Lok Sabha Deputy Speaker M Thambidurai in the ensuing Parliamentary elections.

The jittery DMK men in Karur have cited Thoothukudi, Pudukkottai and Salem examples to convince Nehru who was unmoved by their apprehensions. Former Thoothukudi district secretary N Periasamy had cleverly got Radhika Selvi elevated to Rajya Sabha to protect his daughter Geetha Jeevan’s ministerial interests in the state and growth in the district. In the same vein, former ministers Raghupathy and TM Selvaganapathy were sent to the Parliament at the behest of regional satraps who had successfully got their wish fulfilled by their leader MK Stalin.

However, Karur unit of the DMK may not see that history repeat in their turf, for both Balaji and the party leadership have big plans only within the district, which was strengthening the organisation in the western belt of the state.