Captain, family rapped at review meet

What was intended to be a consultation, apparently, snowballed into a critique as the district secretaries frankly expressed concern at Captain and his family taking decisions unilaterally. “Before the poll, all of us were consulted on alliance and seat sharing, but the leadership finally decided against our views. The cadre who were in the field did not like it,” a party source privy to the development quoted a district secretary as saying at the two-day meeting. 

Understandably, the call to “quit PWF” was loudly heard at the post-poll brainstorming. “There will be no future if we continue in this alliance. We had polled over 8 per cent even when we contested alone in 2006, now it has been reduced to around 2 per cent and our leader has forfeited the deposit. People have neither accepted us nor our alliance as an alternative this time,” a district secretary requesting anonymity said. 

A few participants were reliably learnt to have submitted sentimental letters to Captain. One such anguished district secretary said that they had erred in joining PWF after holding parleys with DMK which the people had believed despite their last-minute denial. 

Some participants also suggested going it alone in the local body polls due in October. “Our good showing in the civic poll irritated the then ruling DMK in 2006. If we don’t pull off a decent victory in the ensuing civic polls, our party’s future would be seriously jeopardised,” said a senior leader. Surprisingly, a few election hardened district secretaries had made strange suggestions like involving Captain’s actor-son Shamuga Pandian in future political events. Perhaps, they believe it is time for a change of guard in DMDK. 

When asked, party headquarters secretary B Parthasarathy admitted to receiving “all kinds of suggestions,” and said, “We have presented our views. Captain will make a decision at the right time.” However, he stoutly denied that district secretaries were largely against continuing in the six-party alliance.