The Stalin problem: Why Khushboo quit the DMK

Actor-turned-politician Khushboo announced yesterday that she was quitting the DMK because of lack of recognition for her work. “I gave my 100 percent for party, still didn’t get recognition. I’m quitting all my association with DMK and I’m no longer associated with the party. I quit my membership with DMK with a heavy heart,” she said. [caption id=“attachment_1574853” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Actor-turned politician Khushboo in a file photo. Reuters[/caption] While she may have cited recognition as her reason, there were deeper issues she faced in the party which she joined in 2011. Things went downhill for the actor after an interview to Tamil Magazine Ananda Vikatan in February 2013 where she had said, that although DMK chief M Karunanidhi had proposed Stalin’s name as his successor, a decision on the same could only be taken after a vote of the general council, since the party was a democratic one. After the interview Khushboo’s home in Chennai was attacked by angry Stalin supporters. In an article after the incident Firspost Senior Editor G Pramod Kumar had noted , “It’s clear now that the stone and sandal throwing against Khushboo were not isolated incidents. Two party leaders, former AIADMK minister and now DMK leader Indira Kumari and actor Chandrasekhar have strongly criticised Khushboo. Indira Kumari slammed the actress for her opinion when the leader had put a closure to the issue while Chandrasekhar went a step ahead and said that Khushboo was a newbie in the party and didn’t know much about it.” “Unless Stalin stops this tide of comments and reactions at once, Khushboo will certainly face a setback in her political future. Reportedly, Stalin himself is miffed and didn’t encourage her when she tried to meet him at the wedding in Trichy. Khushboo is close to Kanimozhi and through her, she can reach out to Karunanidhi for a patch-up. But that won’t be enough. It’s Stalin who should not only ask the cadre to stop, but also genuinely believe that the actress didn’t say anything against him and she was misquoted as she claims,” he had said . After this crisis, though the actor allegedly had the support of party chief Karunanidhi, she couldn’t win the confidence of Stalin. The Telegraph reports, “Having earned Stalin’s wrath with the interview, Khushbu tried to befriend Kanimozhi and MK Alagiri, Karunanidhi’s elder son, but was learnt to have got the cold shoulder. The family saw her as an unnecessary intrusion that added another dimension to the DMK’s power struggle. To top it all, Stalin’s iron-grip on the party meant Khushboo had little future.” In her resignation letter addressed to DMK president Karunanidhi — copies of which were distributed to the media and also on the social media — Khushboo said she had joined the DMK to serve the Tamil people. She said that since the day she joined DMK, she was fulfilling the duties given to her by the party. Meanwhile, the DMK Monday announced an internal restructuring by increasing the number of district units, party general secretary K Anbazhagan said. With agency inputs