M. K. Alagiri: Difference between revisions

{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2015}}

| children      = [[Dayanidhi Azhagiri]]<br>Anjugaselvi<br>Kayalvizhi

'''Muthuvel Karunanidhi Alagiri''' (born 30 January 1951), commonly known as '''M. K. Alagiri''', is an Indian politician from [[Tamil Nadu]] and was a Union  [[Minister of Chemicals and Fertilizers (India)|Cabinet Minister of Chemicals and Fertilizers]] from 28 May 2009 to 20 March 2013. He is the first son of the former [[Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu]], [[M. Karunanidhi]] and his second wife Dayalu Ammal and the head of South Zone of [[Dravida Munnetra Kazagham]] (up to 2014).

Azhagiri's name is associated with various controversies including conspiring in the murder of the former DMK Minister, [[Tha. Kiruttinan|T. Kiruttinan]] on 20 May 2003, initiating a cash-for-vote in Tamil Nadu for the Thirumangalam by-elections, attacking the Madurai office of the newspaper ''[[Dinakaran]]'',<ref name="V265">[[#Vaasanthi|Vaasanthi 2008]], p. 153</ref> and the Dhaya Cyber Tech Park land grab case. He is seen as the party strong man in Southern districts of Madurai. There have been various clashes in the state between his supporters and the ones of his younger brother [[M.K.Stalin]] over the question of succession and leadership of the party. He is also accused to inducing his strongmen in the party, who otherwise have criminal cases against them. Azhagiri is alleged of instigating the attacks of popular Tamil newspaper ''[[Dinamalar]]'' in February 1997 when the daily published a criticism about him. His supporters like Nallamaruthu (brother of Essar Gopi) and Annadurai were convicted in [[Leelavathi murder]], a high-profile political murder case involving murder of Leelavathi, a member of CPI(M) party and elected councilor of Villapuram.<ref name=times>{{cite news|title=CPM leader's killer released once is behind bars again|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/madurai/CPM-leaders-killer-released-once-is-behind-bars-again/articleshow/48633295.cms|work=The Times of India|access-date=16 August 2020|date=23 August 2015|last=L.|first=Saravanan}}</ref>

Azhagiri was appointed as the [[Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers (India)|Minister of Chemicals and Fertilizers]] in the [[Union Cabinet]], following [[United Progressive Alliance|UPA]] victory in the [[2009 Indian Parliamentary Election]]s. He won his elections from the [[Madurai (Lok Sabha constituency)|Madurai]] parliamentary constituency securing 430,688 votes against his next competitor P. Mohan from [[Communist Party of India (Marxist)|CPM]], who secured 290,157 votes.<ref name="GE">{{cite web|url=http://eci.nic.in/eci_main/archiveofge2009/Stats/VOLI/25_ConstituencyWiseDetailedResult.pdf |title=GE 2009 Statistical Report: Constituency Wise Detailed Result |page=136|publisher=Election Commission of India|access-date=10 November 2013}}</ref> During his early tenure, he requested the speaker of Lok Sabha to allow him to answer in Tamil, while senior Lok Sabha officials wanted him to answer in English or Hindi following precedents. Jena, the State minister of the ministry, answered all the questions raised in the parliament on behalf of Azhagiri. There were protests by the opposition party members in the Lok sabha during the Budget session in 2010 over the absence of Azhagiri.<ref>{{cite news|title=Minister Alagiri finally speaks in Parliament|url=http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/minister-alagiri-finally-speaks-in-parliament-42249|work=NDTV|location=New Delhi|date=5 August 2010|access-date=10 November 2013}}</ref> In January 2013, the Union minister of state for the Chemical and Industry ministry, Srikanth Kumar Jena, accused Azhagiri of inaction as a senior minister, in the alleged misuse of government subsidies by the fertiliser companies. He accused Azhagiri of not responding to any of his five letters he wrote to his senior colleague between March and August 2012. In his letters, he complained that the fertiliser companies, in spite of utilizing one third of the subsidies provided to the farmers, kept raising the prices of the fertilisers.<ref>{{cite news|title=PM may be dragged into Alagiri-Jena tiff|url=http://www.business-standard.com/article/economy-policy/pm-may-be-dragged-into-alagiri-jena-tiff-113012300096_1.html|work=Business Standard|location=New Delhi|date=23 January 2013|access-date=10 November 2013}}</ref> Following the irregularities quoted by Jena, there were allegations by certain section of media of a possible scam to an extent of {{INR}}1,000 crores in the fertiliser ministry. There were also allegations of nexus between the corrupt official in the ministry with the fertiliser companies, who together dictated the government policy on fertilizers.<ref>{{cite news|title=Now scam in fertiliser ministry? Prices, subsidy rise simultaneously, but Alagiri ignores his junior minister's warnings|url=http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/scam-fertiliser-ministry-alagiri-karunanidhi-prices-subsidy-rise/1/247043.html|work=India Today|last=Khetan|first=Ashish|location=New Delhi|date=21 January 2013|access-date=10 November 2013}}</ref>

DMK pulled out of the ruling UPA on 20 March 2013 following widespread protests in Tamil Nadu against the central government for not taking up the concerns of Tamils in Sri Lanka in the UN resolution against the alleged human rights violation against Tamils by Sri Lankan government. Azhagiri resigned from his ministry along with other ministers from DMK.<ref name="sorry">{{cite news|title=Sorry chapter of M K Alagiri performance as Union minister|url=http://www.indianexpress.com/news/sorry-chapter-of-m-k-alagiri-performance-as-union-minister/1093032/|work=The Indian Express|last=C.|first=Raja Mohan|date=25 March 2013|access-date=10 November 2013|location=New Delhi}}</ref><ref name="SL"/> There was a brief controversy when Azhagiri did not accompany the contingency led by [[T.R. Baalu]], the head of MPs from the DMK party, to tender resignation in the Prime minister's office and to hand over the letter of withdrawal to the [[President of India|President]] on 20 March 2013. It was claimed as a mark of protest against his father [[Karunanidhi]]'s decision to pull out from the central ministry. Some sources claim he delayed his resignation as he was not kept in the loop while taking the decision. Following his resignation, Srikanth Jena was appointed the minister of Chemical and Fertilizers.<ref name="SL">{{cite news|title=Alagiri snubs dad's confidant|url=http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2013-03-21/india/37902386_1_madurai-strongman-chemicals-and-fertilizers-minister-dmk-s-alagiri|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203052651/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2013-03-21/india/37902386_1_madurai-strongman-chemicals-and-fertilizers-minister-dmk-s-alagiri|url-status=dead|archive-date=3 December 2013|last=Ghildiyal|first=Subodh|access-date=10 November 2013|work=[[The Times of India]]|location=New Delhi}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Srikant Jena Gets Alagiri's Chemicals-Fertilizers Portfolio |url=http://news.outlookindia.com/items.aspx?artid=793107 |work=The Outlook |date=20 March 2013 |location=New Delhi |access-date=10 November 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140301014930/http://news.outlookindia.com/items.aspx?artid=793107 |archive-date=1 March 2014 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Pullout snub miffs Alagiri|url=http://www.telegraphindia.com/1130321/jsp/nation/story_16698584.jsp#.UobKHflJMxU|work=The Telegraph|location=Chennai, India|last=G.C.|first=Shekhar|date=20 March 2013|access-date=10 November 2013}}</ref>

[[Category:15th Lok Sabha members]]