Stating that the DMK has forgotten its former president M. Karunanidhi, former Union Minister M.K. Alagiri said that hard work was the Tirumangalam formula that helped the DMK achieve a huge victory in the by-election to the constituency in 2009.
Addressing his supporters here on Sunday, he said the media created a hype over ‘Tirumangalam formula’ then. “We were accused of distributing ₹1,000 or ₹2,000 for votes. But we did not give money to anyone,” he said.
Stating that he initially kept away from the by-poll works, he said his entire family members, including Mr. Stalin, urged him to work for the party to ensure its victory.
“I stood my ground complaining that I was shamed in the party. But after party chief (M. Karunanidhi) asked me, I agreed to work,” he said.
He recalled that in his childhood, he had accompanied his father for the 1962 election when he contested from Thanjavur Assembly constituency. “I had seen his hard work then. He used to visit the party office even in the dead of the night. I followed him on the hard work and that is the formula behind Tirumangalam by-poll victory,” he added.
Taking a dig at a recent comment by a DMK leader who had said that Mr. Stalin was a better leader than Karunanidhi, he said no one in the world had the intelligence of Karunanidhi.
“Be it in oration, writing, art or literature, there is no match to him. They have now forgotten Karunanidhi. We need to remind everyone that Karunanidhi is our life,” Mr. Alagiri said.
