Post general council, DMK woes remain

COIMBATORE: At Singanallur near here on Sunday, the DMK general council was expected to produce some morale booster for the party, but just a day later the gloom in the party appears thicker.

The surrender of DMK's Salem strongman and former agriculture minister Veerapandi S Arumugam before police in a land grabbing case has seen much of the enthusiasm generated among cadres at the general council evaporate. Worse, the investigations and action on land grabbing cases may see difficult times for the party, particularly in the southern districts where complaints abound.

That is considered a setback for DMK's south zone organising secretary and union minister MK Azhagiri, with many of his close associates already in police custody. Political observers feel that the ongoing police action against land grabbers may also impact the perceived power struggle within the DMK, depending on how the arrests affect the supporters of Azhagiri and his brother and DMK treasurer MK Stalin.