Chennai
That the DMK high command has replaced SS Rajkumar with M Ramachandran in Orathanadu on its own may not be true at all. Enquiries revealed that SS Rajkumar, brother of former union finance minister SS Palanimanickam, had opted out himself.
“High command is upset with Rajkumar pulling out,” said a DMK senior requesting anonymity. In fact, the reason behind the withdrawal had disturbed the DMK cadre more. Rajkumar and rival AIADMK candidate Vaithilingam belong to the same Kallar community. “Palaniamanickam’s family is close to Sasikala. It is a well-known fact in the DMK circles. This time, it was the brother’s turn (to withdraw),” said a DMK senior, claiming that in 2009 the AIADMK initially fielded one Madhavan, a distant relative of Sasikala and subsequently replaced him with Durai Balakrishnan. “Palanimanickam won by nearly two lakh margin,” the DMK leader pointed out, reasoning that there is a tacit understanding between the two families.
“Thalaivar (Karunanidhi) and Thalapathi (Stalin) picked Rajkumar only because they felt that a tough candidate like Rajkumar will have the wherewithal to challenge an influential AIADMK functionary like Vaithilingam,” said another functionary.
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