M. K. Azhagiri
Encyclopedia
Muthuvel Karunanidhi Azhagiri , generally known as M. K. Alagiri, is an India
n politician and a Cabinet Minister. He is the second son of the head of Dravida Munnetra Kazagham, M. Karunanidhi
. His mother, Mrs. Dayaalu Ammal, is the second wife of M. Karunanidhi
. His son is the film producer, Dayanidhi Azhagiri.
Although he harbored hopes of eventual accession to the post of President, Karunanidhi always appeared to prefer his younger son, M. K. Stalin, a former mayor of Chennai
and the Ex - Deputy Chief minister of Tamil Nadu. In fact, in 2000, orders went out that party members should 'distance' themselves from Azhagiri.
Following clashes between the supporters of M. K. Stalin and M. K. Alagiri, he was sent to manage the party in the southern districts of Tamil Nadu from Madurai, while M. K. Stalin was retained in Chennai to manage the party in the northern districts. M. K. Azhagiri, was acquitted along with 12 others on Thursday, by a sessions court of Chittor, Andrapradesh, in a case relating to the murder of a former DMK minister for want of reliable evidence.
The succession crisis came out into the open when party members loyal to Alagiri attacked the Madurai
office of Dinakaran
and set it to fire, in which three staffs were burnt. Dinakaran
is a part of the Sun TV
group owned by Kalanidhi Maran
. He is also accused of conspiring in the murder of the former DMK Minister, T. Kiruttinan. Also, according to secret cables revealed by Wikileaks
through The Hindu
, he gave away ₨ 5,000 as a bribe to each voter through the morning newspaper in the January 2009 Assembly by-election at Thirumangalam and around ₨ 500 per voter in the 2009 Parliamentary elections.
allowed the CBI
to appeal against the acquittal
of 16 supporters of Union Chemicals Minister M K Alagiri in the Tamil Daily Dinakaran
burning case in which three employees were killed in May/9/2007. In addition to these 16 accused, the acquittal of a police
officer who was charged with negligence of duty will also be reviewed. Thus the case, which rocked Tamil Nadu
while Alagiris father Karunanidhi was the Chief Minister
, is being revived more than 18 months after a trial court had acquitted all the 17 accused. In May 2007, after the Dinakaran, owned by the Maran brothers, published an opinion poll on Karunanidhis preferred political successors in which it gave a poor popularity rating for Alagiri, his supporters went on a rage and set fire to the Tamil Dailys office in Madurai
, where Alagiri then lorded over as an uncrowned king. Three employees who were caught inside died after inhaling noxious fumes. Under public pressure, Karunanidhi had transferred investigation of the case to the CBI
. However, in December 2009, a trial court acquitted all the accused citing lack of evidence .
Union Minister for Chemicals and Fertilisers M.K. Alagiri recently visited Palayamkottai Central Prison
in Madurai
to meet four of his close aides, arrested in a land grabbing case. The DMK leader went to console his "friends" on Wednesday, a day after they were arrested on a complaint that they forced a woman to sell her property worth Rs 4.36 crore for just Rs 40 lakh when the DMK was in power in Tamil Nadu
. The four people arrested were G. Thalapathi, N. Suresh Babu alias 'Pottu' Suresh (both DMK executive committee members), Krishna Pandi and Kodi Chandrasekharan. Suresh Babu is said to be a close political aide of Alagiri. Alagiri later defended them and quoted his father, DMK chief M. Karunanidhi, that false case had been foisted on them.
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n politician and a Cabinet Minister. He is the second son of the head of Dravida Munnetra Kazagham, M. Karunanidhi
M. Karunanidhi
Muthuvel Karunanidhi is an Indian politician and a former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu. He is the head of Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam , a Dravidian political party in the state of Tamil Nadu. He has been the leader of the DMK since the death of its founder, C. N...
. His mother, Mrs. Dayaalu Ammal, is the second wife of M. Karunanidhi
M. Karunanidhi
Muthuvel Karunanidhi is an Indian politician and a former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu. He is the head of Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam , a Dravidian political party in the state of Tamil Nadu. He has been the leader of the DMK since the death of its founder, C. N...
. His son is the film producer, Dayanidhi Azhagiri.
Although he harbored hopes of eventual accession to the post of President, Karunanidhi always appeared to prefer his younger son, M. K. Stalin, a former mayor of Chennai
Chennai
Chennai , formerly known as Madras or Madarasapatinam , is the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, located on the Coromandel Coast off the Bay of Bengal. Chennai is the fourth most populous metropolitan area and the sixth most populous city in India...
and the Ex - Deputy Chief minister of Tamil Nadu. In fact, in 2000, orders went out that party members should 'distance' themselves from Azhagiri.
Following clashes between the supporters of M. K. Stalin and M. K. Alagiri, he was sent to manage the party in the southern districts of Tamil Nadu from Madurai, while M. K. Stalin was retained in Chennai to manage the party in the northern districts. M. K. Azhagiri, was acquitted along with 12 others on Thursday, by a sessions court of Chittor, Andrapradesh, in a case relating to the murder of a former DMK minister for want of reliable evidence.
The succession crisis came out into the open when party members loyal to Alagiri attacked the Madurai
Madurai
Madurai is the third largest city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. It served as the capital city of the Pandyan Kingdom. It is the administrative headquarters of Madurai District and is famous for its temples built by Pandyan and...
office of Dinakaran
Dinakaran
Dinakaran is a Tamil daily newspaper distributed in India. , Dinakaran is the largest Tamil daily newspaper in terms of net paid circulation, which was 1,235,220...
and set it to fire, in which three staffs were burnt. Dinakaran
Dinakaran
Dinakaran is a Tamil daily newspaper distributed in India. , Dinakaran is the largest Tamil daily newspaper in terms of net paid circulation, which was 1,235,220...
is a part of the Sun TV
Sun TV (India)
Sun TV is a regional Indian cable television station. It is the flagship channel of the Chennai-based Sun Network. It was founded and currently owned by Kalanidhi Maran. It was the first fully privately owned television channel in India when it emerged in 1992...
group owned by Kalanidhi Maran
Kalanidhi Maran
Kalanithi Maran is the Chairman and Managing Director of Sun Network, which is the most profitable Television network in Asia.In June 2010, he acquired Spice Jet which was the most profitable airlines in India...
. He is also accused of conspiring in the murder of the former DMK Minister, T. Kiruttinan. Also, according to secret cables revealed by Wikileaks
Wikileaks
WikiLeaks is an international self-described not-for-profit organisation that publishes submissions of private, secret, and classified media from anonymous news sources, news leaks, and whistleblowers. Its website, launched in 2006 under The Sunshine Press organisation, claimed a database of more...
through The Hindu
The Hindu
The Hindu is an Indian English-language daily newspaper founded and continuously published in Chennai since 1878. According to the Audit Bureau of Circulations, it has a circulation of 1.46 million copies as of December 2009. The enterprise employed over 1,600 workers and gross income reached $40...
, he gave away ₨ 5,000 as a bribe to each voter through the morning newspaper in the January 2009 Assembly by-election at Thirumangalam and around ₨ 500 per voter in the 2009 Parliamentary elections.
Controversies
He was accused as the main conspirator in the murder of the former Highways Minister, `Pasumpon' T. Kiruttinan, in 2003. But he was later acquitted cause the prosecution was unable to prove his guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.Case against Alagiri aides
The Madras High CourtMadras High Court
The Madras High Court is a senior court located at Chennai , in India. The court buildings, which are believed to be the second largest judicial complex in the world, are located near the beach, in one of the city's major business districts....
allowed the CBI
CBI
- Places and installations :* Cape Breton Island, part of Nova Scotia, Canada* Center for Biomedical Imaging, a research facility of Boston University Medical Center* Central Bukidnon Institute, a secondary school in the Philippines...
to appeal against the acquittal
Acquittal
In the common law tradition, an acquittal formally certifies the accused is free from the charge of an offense, as far as the criminal law is concerned. This is so even where the prosecution is abandoned nolle prosequi...
of 16 supporters of Union Chemicals Minister M K Alagiri in the Tamil Daily Dinakaran
Dinakaran
Dinakaran is a Tamil daily newspaper distributed in India. , Dinakaran is the largest Tamil daily newspaper in terms of net paid circulation, which was 1,235,220...
burning case in which three employees were killed in May/9/2007. In addition to these 16 accused, the acquittal of a police
Police
The police is a personification of the state designated to put in practice the enforced law, protect property and reduce civil disorder in civilian matters. Their powers include the legitimized use of force...
officer who was charged with negligence of duty will also be reviewed. Thus the case, which rocked Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...
while Alagiris father Karunanidhi was the Chief Minister
Chief Minister
A Chief Minister is the elected head of government of a sub-national state, provinces of Sri Lanka, Pakistan, notably a state of India, a territory of Australia or a British Overseas Territory that has attained self-government...
, is being revived more than 18 months after a trial court had acquitted all the 17 accused. In May 2007, after the Dinakaran, owned by the Maran brothers, published an opinion poll on Karunanidhis preferred political successors in which it gave a poor popularity rating for Alagiri, his supporters went on a rage and set fire to the Tamil Dailys office in Madurai
Madurai
Madurai is the third largest city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. It served as the capital city of the Pandyan Kingdom. It is the administrative headquarters of Madurai District and is famous for its temples built by Pandyan and...
, where Alagiri then lorded over as an uncrowned king. Three employees who were caught inside died after inhaling noxious fumes. Under public pressure, Karunanidhi had transferred investigation of the case to the CBI
CBI
- Places and installations :* Cape Breton Island, part of Nova Scotia, Canada* Center for Biomedical Imaging, a research facility of Boston University Medical Center* Central Bukidnon Institute, a secondary school in the Philippines...
. However, in December 2009, a trial court acquitted all the accused citing lack of evidence .
Union Minister for Chemicals and Fertilisers M.K. Alagiri recently visited Palayamkottai Central Prison
Palayamkottai Central Prison
Palayamkottai Central Prison is located in Tirunelveli, India. The prison was built during 1880 and was operating as a district jail until 1929. The jail was converted into a Borstal school in 1929, which was later transferred to Pudukottai due to lower admissions. It became a central prison...
in Madurai
Madurai
Madurai is the third largest city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. It served as the capital city of the Pandyan Kingdom. It is the administrative headquarters of Madurai District and is famous for its temples built by Pandyan and...
to meet four of his close aides, arrested in a land grabbing case. The DMK leader went to console his "friends" on Wednesday, a day after they were arrested on a complaint that they forced a woman to sell her property worth Rs 4.36 crore for just Rs 40 lakh when the DMK was in power in Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...
. The four people arrested were G. Thalapathi, N. Suresh Babu alias 'Pottu' Suresh (both DMK executive committee members), Krishna Pandi and Kodi Chandrasekharan. Suresh Babu is said to be a close political aide of Alagiri. Alagiri later defended them and quoted his father, DMK chief M. Karunanidhi, that false case had been foisted on them.