Stalin irked at ‘thanksgiving’ talk of Thirunavukkarasar

He got on the nerves of the DMK by opining that he had won without paying a penny to the voters. “I am grateful to the voters of Tiruchy. I won without paying a paisa to the voters,” he said, unaware of the political ramifications the loaded statement could have.

The comment was understood to have annoyed the DMK even at the top leadership level. So much so that the DMK top brass had expressed its disappointment with its friends in Congress. “What is he suggesting by stating that he won without paying a paisa? Is he suggesting that our candidates won by bribing voters?” the DMK leadership had allegedly discussed internally after the senior Congress leaders tell-all statement.

As if that ‘costly’ statement was not enough, Thirunavukkarasar had touched a raw nerve again by attributing his huge victory margin to the support of the AIADMK workers, who earlier worked with him and had reposed faith in him now.

He said in a media interview a day after the results that if two lakhs had come for the anti-BJP wave in the state, the rest was for his long standing in the politics which had even won the loyalty of the old guard, even in the AIADMK.

Though the former TNCC chief gave credit to the DMK, especially its president Stalin, his reading of the victory did not impress the DMK ranks entirely. 

Even senior Congress leaders were frank in admitting that the Tiruchy MP Thirunavukkarasar could have been a wee bit diplomatic while celebrating his victory and that too when most of the allies owed their success to the hard work of Stalin.