Chennai

Announcing his decision, Karuppaiah, who had met Stalin to inform his decision a few days ago, told reporters that the DMK was being run like a corporate firm. “Only a corporate firm will approach agencies to promote itself. A political party should attract people through its performance. It is fallacy to rope in strategists like (Prashant) Kishore to promote a leader. Kamarajar, Rajaji, Kalaignar and even Jayalalithaa did not engage (strategists). How can a leader be marketed like a toilet soap? Political party is not business,” he, Karuppaiah had joined the DMK after his expulsion from AIADMK in 2016 in the presence of its then president M Karunanidhi.

The former MLA said, “Intelligence and honesty has been pushed to backseat (in DMK). Money is the priority. I could not adjust to it.” Remarking that dissent was the essence of democracy, Karuppaiah said the party was promoting corrupt people and institutionalising corruption. “They are preventing criticism within the party in the name of loyalty. This is not alternative politics,” he alleged.

Seconds Rajini’s views

Asked if Stalin had discussed the issues with him, he said, “Stalin heard me. But he did not react,” before adding that a leader should be surrounded by intelligent people, but Stalin was not. Accusing the DMK of failing to create a feeling against Hindu consolidation of the BJP, Karuppaiah slammed the DMK for being content with one-day statements on issues. Calling both AIADMK and DMK corrupt, he ruled out return to the ruling party.

Seconding Rajinikanth’s opinion that the system was rotten in the state, Karuppaiah reiterated his commitment to Dravidian principles by saying, “I am still a Gandhian driven by socialist ideals. It is true. The system is rot. But, let Rajini come out first. Let him air his views. I cannot ally with people who support Hindi or Sanskrit. I quit because I did not want to carry this dirty baggage.”

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